The slow road to recovery is underway as electrical crews from all over the south descend in Waycross following the destruction of Hurricane Helene.
“Overwhelmed,” said Brent Basham, who just moved to the city about three weeks ago while being interviewed by a news crew. “I’ve been through some major tornados in Texas, but this right here topped it.”
Around midnight Thursday, a pine tree slammed onto the bed of his truck, demolishing it. And then two hours later, another tree branch went right through his roof impaling the beds in his room. Luckily no one got hurt.
“We just heard a loud crack and we just got our stuff and got out of there,” expectant mother Ciara Smith stated to a news crew after a tree snapped and fell on the nursery of her child-to-be. Both the soon-to-be mother and her unborn child were safe.
Blackshear Fire Department’s assistant chief Vernon “Leon” Davis was one of at least 17 people who’ve died in Georgia because of the storm. Davis had been a firefighter for more than 30 years, according to Blackshear Police Chief Chris Wright.
Davis died when a tree fell on his city truck shortly before 1:30 a.m. Friday, Pierce County Coroner William Wilson said. He was responding to storm calls when he was killed.
Davis had just been clearing up downed trees and power lines before he was killed.
The death toll is expected to rise as cleanup efforts continue due to hazardous scenarios like powerlines in flooded areas and unsafe driving conditions, authorities said.
Several areas inside Waycross suffered severe damage, especially in the Cherokee Heights area. Residents are saying the residental area was hit by a tornado, but there have been no confirmed reports.
By the time the storm reached Waycross, it brought 71 mph wind gusts with it, the National Weather Service said.
Waycross City Manager City Manager Ulysses Rayford said nearly the entire city and county (all but 2,000 of the 24,000 residents served by Georgia Power) were without power Friday after wind and rain from Hurricane Helene passed.
Chain saws can be heard all over the area as pine trees are being cut from roadways, in yards and off homes. Out of state power companies are helping to restore power. Photo By RICK HEAD
That figure still stood at more than 12,000 late Monday afternoon.
“We took a real good hit this time,” Waycross City Manager City Manager Ulysses Rayford said. “Hopefully, the power gets back on in the next twothree days. I will say we’ve been here before, and it might be a week, so we’re just asking everybody to be patient.”
Mayor Michael-Angelo James and Gov. Brian Kemp both declared a state of emergence so they could get resources and assistance to people here.
“There was a lot of damage, this is one of the most destructive hurricanes we’ve seen. ... It is a huge undertaking, and I understand this is taking a while,' said Matthew Kent, a Georgia Power spokesperson. “The issues right now are, there’s still some trees falling in some areas, there are still trees down on power lines.”
The City of Waycross was starting to receive power early Monday (September 30) with many convenient stores opening. Long lines were forming at gas pumps at the newly reopened stores as early as 7 a.m.
The cities of Blackshear and Patterson, along with residents of Pierce County, were still awaiting power Monday morning. Circle K and a couple of the independent convenient stores were open for business.
As of Monday afternoon (September 30), 2,539 of 3,464 customers in Blackshear, and 545 of 549 in Patterson served by Georgia Power were without electricity. The utility’s power restoration estimate for about 95 percent of customers in Ware and Pierce counties is Saturday, October 5.
Businesses across Brantley County were open for business Monday. Again, lines were long at the gas pumps.
Bacon County is trying to recover from the powerful wind damage. The City of Alma had the highest wind gusts reported east of Valdosta with a report of 100 mph underscoring fast forward motion of the storm as it tracked inland.
In order to help residents, the City of Waycross is encouraging any local or out-of-state vendors to set up at Bit Tanner Field. No city permits are required and fees are waived, officials said.
“We want the people to be able to come out and enjoy themselves, and don’t have to travel from city to city to try to find something to eat,” said Commissioner Sheinita Bennett, who represents District 2.
Fellow Commissioner Alvin Nelson, who represents District 5, asked for patience amid the stress.
“We’re asking people to be patient, be understanding because this is one of those storms that comes every 10 to 15 years, but be patient we’re getting there,” he said.
City officials said the Red Cross is expected to be in Waycross later in the week to provide ice for residents.
“Let’s stay encouraged, everything is going to work,” Bennett said.
The area went under a tropical storm watch late Tuesday, September 24, and it was upgraded to a warning 24 hours later. A tornado watch also was added early Thursday before being extended to 6 a.m. Friday.
Locally, rainfall totaling 1.86 inches was recorded in the 24-hour period from 6 a.m. Thursday to 6 a.m. Friday. The highest winds and most rain were recorded in the 11:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. window.
That’s when the 71 mph just was recorded while sustained winds rose from 25 mph at 11:30 to 42 mph at 1:30.
Winds remained in the 30s in the following hours before diminishing into the 20s around dawn. After a cloudy morning, the sun shone bright with a mild breeze the remainder of Friday.
