‘Everybody’s helping everybody’: Helene cleanup goes on in CSRA
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Before Hurricane Helene, the 2014 ice storm was one of the worst recent disasters our area faced.
There were about 500,000 cubic yards of debris from the ice storm in Columbia County.
A cubic yard is about the size of a washing machine.
To put Helene into perspective, so far, 928,000 cubic yards of debris have been picked up. That’s nearly double the ice storm, and they’re nowhere close to being done yet.
In Richmond County, they’ve picked up more than 1 million cubic yards of debris so far.
It’s a waiting game for many, but it goes to show you the huge volume of damage left behind by the storm. Many neighbors are just thankful they are alive to clean up their yard.
Aiken County burn ban still in effect due to debris-related fires
Late last month, Belvedere firefighters called on the Aiken County Council to enact an emergency burn ban after a weeks-long drought and debris piles stacked high.
Some neighborhoods are still unrecognizable.
“Trees that you didn’t think would ever come down, were all down like toothpicks,” said Richmond County resident Cindy Steele.
It left neighbors to clean up and make the most of reality.
James Mushet, Columbia County resident, said: “One day after another, just removing debris and, you know, just cleaning up almost every day now.”
Becky McArdle, another Columbia County resident, said: “You can imagine being in a semi or a bus or whatever and having to deal with this.
In some cases, the piles are so tall.
“People just need to slow down. I’ve had people coming around that curve, flying,” said McArdle.
It can get tricky to navigate.
Local group helps clean up biking trails after Helene
If you mountain bike around the CSRA, you know about SORBA — the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association.
“You don’t see them until they are right there on you, because of all the debris,” she said.
Being a bus driver, McArdle knows the struggle.
“The only thing I can suggest and think of is for people just to be cautious and think about the bigger vehicles that are going to come through here, and, you know, don’t fly around the corner,” she said.
And as we all know, this won’t be an overnight clean-up. But for some, it’s an eyesore.
Steele said: “We all have to deal with it, and everybody’s helping everybody. And, you know, if you need something, you call your neighbor. I mean, here we’re very close and very ive of each other, and so I know I can call on a neighbor if I need something.”
Many neighbors are just thankful to be alive.
Mushet said: “The cleanup will be fine, but the devastation and loss of life is really what hurts the most. It’ll be a date that will be implanted in our minds for a very long time.”
Richmond and Columbia counties are working to get it all cleaned up in 90 days to get full FEMA reimbursement.
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