‘We are going to continue to remain here,’ FEMA chief says in Augusta
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- FEMA aid: Local renters can apply for assistance after Hurricane Helene
- Applying for aid: Assistance won’t affect other benefits, agency says
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency came to Augusta on Wednesday to give an update on the response to Hurricane Helene.
A news conference with FEMA Director Deanne Criswell and Mayor Garnett L. Johnson, as well as other city officials, began at 2 p.m. on the second floor of the Augusta-Richmond County Municipal Building, 535 Telfair St.
Criswell met with state and local officials to survey areas impacted by the hurricane that left a swath of destruction through the CSRA on Sept. 27. She also met with survivors and FEMA staff ing recovery efforts.
Criswell urged anyone who hasn’t ed for FEMA help to do so.
Everything you need to know about applying for FEMA aid
This is the first time people around here have had to deal with FEMA, and it can be confusing. Find out what you need to know.
She said the Augusta disaster recovery center at 631 Chafee Avenue is available for people who want one-on-one help applying for aid, but you can also apply online at https://www.disasterassistance.gov. Plus the agency has people going out into neighborhoods to offer help; they’ll have FEMA identifications and clothing, Criswell said.
She noted that FEMA was on the ground in Georgia before the storm made landfall, prepositioning resources and leadership so help could be quickly directed where it was needed.
“We are going to continue to remain here on the ground,” she said.
Through a t field office in Atlanta, the agency coordinates efforts with state leaders, she said.
Plus a branch office in Augusta is getting some special help to our area.
WHAT’S NEXT?
- On Thursday, the FEMA director will travel to South Carolina to meet with Gov. McMaster, check on federal recovery efforts and visit local disaster recovery centers.
Criswell said about 800 federal personnel are in the region to help with the hurricane recovery – primarily FEMA staff but also employees with the Army Corps of Engineers, Small Business istration and other agencies. More than 200 of these are canvassing neighborhoods or ing mobile disaster recovery facilities.
FEMA has opened nine emergency response centers across Georgia, including the one in Augusta. Four more centers are in the works and will open in days and weeks, she said.
The goal is to open 20 centers in Georgia, she said. In the meantime, mobile facilities are filling some of the gaps.
Asked about the rumors and often deliberate misinformation being spread about FEMA’s efforts, Criswell said it’s troublesome.
“It created unnecessary noise in the work that needs to be done. Our focus should be on the people,” she said.
I-TEAM: Helene has displaced students at nearly every Richmond County school
The Richmond County School System has been using an online form to identify students and their immediate needs, in order to connect parents with local resources.
“I want to make sure my staff can put all of their time and energy into helping them on their road to recovery.”
In Georgia, more than 333,000 people have ed for assistance so far, she said.
The agency has given out nearly $160 million to individuals in Georgia, she said, “but that number will go up.”
One goal is not just to rebuild, but to make the infrastructure more resilient, she said.
“As I talked to the mayor and his team earlier, we are here for the long haul,” she said. “We are here and going to be with everybody in this community as we think about what the future can look like. You see these tragic incidents, but as I mentioned to the mayor, we also have an opportunity to build back stronger and build back more resilient, as well.”
She said as officials talk about rebuilding critical infrastructure that was damaged, they will talk about how to do that so the facilities can withstand future disasters.
“What we don’t want is to have another event come through and we didn’t take the opportunity to make it stronger and better,” she said.
Local animal shelters continue to see increase in overcrowding
Local animal shelters were dealing with overcrowding before the storm nearly a month ago, and they’re still dealing with it now.
That infrastructure is a key priority for the city, Fire Chief Antonio Burden said at the news conference.
City leaders are also focused on prioritizing utility repairs, as well as expediting debris removal.
He also said the city is working with FEMA to find temporary housing for people who have been displaced.
“Our goal is to ensure that everyone who has been affected receives the help they need,” he said.
The mayor said the city has made significant progress in recovering from the hurricane, but there’s a lot of work ahead.
CITY CEMETERIES:
- Westview and Cedar Grove cemeteries got minimal damage, August officials said at Wednesday’s news conference. Magnolia Cemetery is damaged; roads and damaged areas throughout the cemetery are difficult to travel on.
The city’s debris removal contractor is still focusing on the largest and worst-hit areas and collecting the debris at Eisenhower Park, Fleming Park and Lake Olmstead Stadium. Officials ask the public to avoid these areas for their own safety.
More than 408,000 cubic yards of debris have been removed so far in Richmond County and 97 hanging limbs have been removed.
Crews are removing on average 24,000 cubic yards of debris a day.
SRS, food manufacturer come through with donations after Helene
Donated MREs and breaded chicken strips helped keep the CSRA fed as the community responded to the destruction of Hurricane Helene.
Moving forward, people need to separate vegetative debris from construction debris and leave it on the right-of-way next to roads, Johnson said.
This is a “once-in-a-lifetime storm, so please be patient,” he said.
City Tameka Allen said utility systems and trash service are functioning normally. If you have issues, call 311.
All traffic signals in Richmond County are now operational, but there are some snags with the timing of many of the lights. Engineers are working to fix that problem, she said.
SEE THE FULL NEWS CONFERENCE:
Criswell’s visit came just after FEMA opened two new assistance centers for victims of Helene: in the library at Aiken Technical College and in Thomson at 111 Railroad St.
They centers that were already open in Augusta at the HUB for Community Innovation, 631 Chafee Ave., and in Sandersville at 514 North Harris St.
Here’s a photo gallery from the Thomson center, which opened Tuesday:
Coming up, of U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock’s team will host a community resource day to help connect Glascock County residents to federal resources. The staff will be at the Glascock County Senior Center from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
For a full list of FEMA centers in the CSRA, visit https://egateway.fema.gov/ESF6/DRCLocator.
By the numbers
- FEMA has approved over $2 billion in federal assistance for individuals and communities affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
- FEMA has over 5,000 personnel deployed throughout the Southeast, contributing to a total of over 6,000 federal responders who are working together to state and local governments in their recovery efforts.
- Federal assistance for those affected by the hurricanes includes $940 million to survivors with housing repairs, personal property replacement and other essential recovery efforts.
- Additionally, over $1.1 billion has been approved for debris removal and emergency protective measures, which are necessary to save lives, protect public health and prevent further damage to public and private property.
- In Georgia, FEMA has approved over $156 million in housing and other types of assistance for more than 141,000 households.
- In South Carolina, FEMA has approved over $166 million in housing and other types of assistance for more than 176,000 households.
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