After Helene, local calls skyrocket for burglaries, looting and rescues
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Augusta city leaders say Helene brought historic levels of damage to our area.
In the hours and days that followed, a historic number of calls were made to emergency services.
That includes the obvious calls for things like storm damage and people in need of rescue, but also for burglaries and looting.
Since Hurricane Helene battered the CSRA, first responders have worked around the clock, call after call.
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“Times like this is when we need everybody to come together,” said Captain Danny Whitehead with the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office.
Richmond County says their deputies certainly answered those calls.
“One of our officers, he was on patrol when the storm hit, and he responded to a tree that fell on the house. When he was responding, two trees and a power line fell on his patrol car, and he was entrapped. He was able to get out and his car was stuck in the neighborhood for two days,” said Whitehead.
Their call volume was historic.
“It was by far the most call for service we have ever responded to,” he said.
According to Augusta 911, they answered 8,382 calls from Sept. 26 through Sept. 29.
On Sept. 27, the day Helene hit the CSRA, dispatchers picked up the phone more than 3,500 times alone.
Some of those 911 calls weren’t for storm damage.
“The opportunity was there for larceny, thefts, burglaries, residential and businesses. Obviously, the priority
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was safety, people and the community,” said Whitehead.
Deputies say they saw a 75% increase in burglaries and looting after the storm, including two Family Dollar stores.
They were able to arrest more than 11 connected to multiple burglary cases.
“The officers stepped up when they heard the call for assistance and came in on their off days to help,” said Whitehead.
Richmond County says they’ll hold an after-action plan to make adjustments for future possible disasters.
“We faced a lot of challenges, but I think we’re going to learn from them and grow from them,” he said.
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