Officials push extra Halloween safety precautions due to Helene debris
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Thursday is Halloween and safety is top of mind as you take your children out for trick or treating.
Some neighborhoods are still seeing a lot of debris from Hurricane Helene making door-to-door trick-or-treating unsafe.
Locals step up to bring Halloween spirit back to the community
Augusta resident Nick Padgett decided to gather up Halloween costumes and give them away for free so that everyone can get into the Halloween spirit.
Parents say it’s a shock still having to worry about navigating through this a month later.
The Hammond Hills neighborhood in North Augusta is one example of debris causing parents and law enforcement to take a different approach this year.
“With, you know, any increased traffic in a lot of areas, it’s down to only room for one car,” says Ben Schneider, a North Augusta parent. “So it’s definitely a concern.”
Schneider says like many parents, they’re going to have to be creative with Halloween this year.
“Obviously, with the amount of debris, it’s a safety concern, and wouldn’t want anybody getting kind of getting caught up at anything.”
North Augusta Public Safety will have extra patrols in neighborhoods throughout the city.
There’s Halloween fun every day between now and Nov. 3 in CSRA
Get ready for a frightfully fun Halloween season as Augusta’s community centers and other locations transform into spooky havens for trick-or-treaters of all ages.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office is encouraging doing activities earlier and to take advantage of other options like trunk or treats.
Schneider says it gives his family peace of mind knowing there are efforts to make spooky season a little less stressful.
“We’ll definitely be kind of looking for other options, since I don’t think it’s probably the best area right now,” says Schneider
He says things may look different this year, but he believes everyone is going to make the most of it.
“It’s unfortunate that we can’t have, you know, the traditional house-to-house experience,” Schneider says. “But, you know, with safety concerns, I totally understand.”
Law enforcement is encouraging parents to pre-plan routes if they choose to still take their kids out tomorrow.
That means finding areas with less debris and wearing reflective, bright gear to stand out in the dark.
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