For Hurricane Helene relief, find resources
with the American Red Cross here. And in Georgia, find resources with the Georgia Emergency Management Agency here.

WGAC is providing updates on Hurricane Helene recovery and relief on air and online. You can stream WGAC on the website or through the WGAC app.

Monday, September 30, 2024

Power outages continue to be a widespread issue throughout Augusta and the surrounding areas. Crews are working around the clock to get everyone back up and running, but it could still be several days.

School Closings:

• Augusta University – closed through Sunday, October 6.
• Augusta Tech – closed this week, normal business hours resume Monday, October 7. All events and activities are cancelled this week.
• Richmond County schools and offices – closed through Friday, October 4.
• Columbia County schools and facilities – closed at least through Friday, October 4.
• SAIL Charter School – closed until at least Wednesday, October 2.
• Burke County Public Schools and offices are closed through Friday, October 4.
• Non-essential Lincoln County offices will be closed on Monday, September 30, and Tuesday, October 1.
• McDuffie County Schools – closed through October 4.
• County Public Health Departments closed Monday, September 30 and Tuesday, October 1, for Burke, Columbia, Glascock, Emanuel, Jefferson, Jenkins, Lincoln, McDuffie, Richmond, Screven, Taliaferro, Warren, and Wilkes Counties.
• Glascock County Schools – closed through Friday, October 4.
• Jefferson County Schools – closed through Friday, October 4.
• City of Augusta offices are closed to the public on Monday, September 30. Essential employees are working across Augusta-Richmond County for hurricane relief.
• Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Administrative Building and the Charles B. Webster Detention Center will be closed to the public until further notice.
• Aiken County Schools – out for fall break over the next 2 weeks, but Intercession Week, Athletics, and Quest Zone are also cancelled. Essential employees have been placed on standby.

Augusta Fire and EMA reminds residents that trash collection will be delayed this week. If you’re clearing tree debris, place it curbside for collection. The landfill will be open from 5 a.m. to 4 p.m. today (Monday, September 30) and will accept up to 5 bags of household trash at no charge.

Water, Food, Shelter:

In Augusta, water distribution will take place at the Municipal Building at 535 Telfair Street starting at 8 a.m. today (Monday, September 30). Water will also be available at Southgate, 2801 Peach Orchard Road starting at 10 a.m. with emergency meals available at 12 noon.

As of 10 p.m. Sunday night, the Henry Brigham Community Center was at capacity, but shelter was still available at May Park, 622 4th Street in Augusta.

Burke County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a Grill & Charge event today at the sheriff’s office. Generators will be available to charge devices, and you can bring any meats you have to grill before it goes bad.

Lanier’s Fresh Meat Market will have hot dogs and homemade sausages at their location, 1831 Walton Way, Augusta, starting at 11 a.m. today for those in need of a meal.

The North Augusta Family Y is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today for showers, charging stations, and water. The gym will also be open. They do not provide towels or toiletries, you’ll need to bring your own. If you need water, bring your own containers/bottles/jugs for filling.

In Aiken County, a regional Community Shelter has been opened for North Augusta, Aiken, and Edgefield residents if needed. The shelter is located at Merriweather Elementary, 565 Springhaven Drive, North Augusta.

• Impacts in the CSRA

  As of 6 a.m. Thursday, threats through 8 a.m. on Friday include:

  • Flooding possible with 2-4 inches of rain, with western counties seeing between 5-8 inches of rain.
  • Wind gusts between 40-60 miles per hour. Western counties could see wind gusts over 60 miles per hour.
  • Brief spin-up tornadoes are possible, primarily in southern and southeastern counties.
  • Heavy rain could lead to flash flooding and river flooding Thursday night into Friday morning.
  • Downed trees and widespread power outages should be expected.

  A flood watch for all CSRA counties EXCEPT for Jenkins, Screven, Allendale, and Bamberg. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for all CSRA counties.

• Current Delays and Closings

  Aiken County Schools: Classes will be held Thursday but all afterschool events, including athletics, arts and other afterschool meetings have been canceled. Friday will be an E-Learning day and teachers and staff will work remotely.

  *Richmond County Schools: Friday will be a Learn from Home Day.  As of now, all Richmond County Schools will continue their regular schedules today.  All afterschool activities have been cancelled for today. Schools and offices will follow regular schedule on Thursday. 

  Columbia County Schools: All after-school activities, including after-school care, are canceled for the day. The CCSD Career Fair has been canceled, and the Building Program Community Presentation will be rescheduled.

  Friday night football games will currently proceed as scheduled.

  *Burke County Schools:  All schools and departments will be closed on Friday.  Employees, including twelve-month personnel, should not report to work.  The school system nutrition department will send a lunchable home with each student today.  All afternoon activities for today ( Thursday) are canceled.

  *Lincoln County Schools: All Lincoln County Schools will be closed Friday.  Schools will operate normally today, but all after-school activities have been cancelled.

  *McDuffie County Schools:  Schools will be closed Friday.  The district will continue normal operations today, but requests all parents living on the following roads within the county to contact the Department of Transportation at 706-986-4091 to meet buses at designated points:  Temple, Foster Sprouse, Rock House, Fish Dam, Mason, Heaton, Goett, Carolyn Lake, Lakeview, Greenbrier, Reeves, St. Paul, Dogwood, Jones, Whitaker, Radford Gay, Chalker and Raybun.  The football game scheduled for Friday has been rescheduled for Friday, October 18.

  *Jefferson County Schools:  Jefferson County Schools will release at 1:00 today and will be closed Friday. 

  Edgefield County Schools:  All afternoon activities for Thursday canceled.  Students will learn virtually on Friday.

  McCormick County Schools:  All afternoon activities for Thursday canceled.  Students will learn virtually on Friday.

  Fox Creek High School:  Students will learn virtually on Friday.

  Sail Charter School:  Students will learn virtually Thursday and Friday.

  St. Mary on the Hill Catholic School:  It will be an E-Learning day Friday.  All outdoor activities cancelled today.

  Washington County Schools: Early dismissal starting at 11:30 a.m. Schools will be closed on Friday. After school activities are canceled and students will have at-home assignments on Friday.

  Emanuel County Schools: Early release on Thursday, and no school on Friday.

  City Offices in Grovetown:  Closed today and tomorrow (Thursday and Friday).  Offices will re-open at their normal time on Monday.

  Columbia County:  County offices will be closed Friday. Libraries in Evans, Grovetown and Harlem will close at 5 p.m. today and remain closed tomorrow. The will re-open for normal hours Saturday.  The Motor Vehicle and Property Tax Offices will be closed on Friday.

  Augusta Prep:  Closed Friday.   The Homecoming football game scheduled for Friday night has been postponed. If field conditions are playable, the game may be moved to Saturday, September 28 at Richards Stadium.

  Thomson City and McDuffie County Offices:  Closed Friday

  Edgefield County Offices:  Closed Friday morning, but will open at 1:00 pm that day.

  Augusta University:  Campus closed today at 3:00 pm with all in-person instruction and campus events cancelled.  On Friday, instruction will be delivered remotely.  All AU residence halls will remain open.  Atrium campus dining will provide normal service today.  On Friday, it will be open 10 am-2 pm and 4 pm-8:30 pm.

   

• Reported Damages And Outages

  Burke County: Downed trees and powerlines on Blount Chapel Road near Highway 305. Many residents are without power. A tree is down on Highway 305 before Highway 24. North College Street between 305 and Blackberry Lane at Highway 305 is closed due to storm damage.

  Louisville: 2nd Street is closed due to flooding.

• Resources

  During major storms, it’s important to stay alert and up-to-date. Make sure you have a way to access information even if you lose power.

  Weather alerts: Residents are encouraged to stay up to date on the potential threat of severe weather by signing up for the Augusta Emergency Management Agency’s severe weather and hazardous conditions alerting system. Details HERE.

  Listeners can also download the WGAC app to listen and find weather updates HERE.

  Shelter: If you’re in need of shelter due to evacuation, the American Red Cross may be able to assist. You can find open shelters on their website HERE. The Red Cross also has an emergency app.

• Hazards With Helene

  Wind: Strong winds could cause some issues including power outages. Potential for tornadoes could also occur late on Thursday.

  Flooding: There could be potential for flooding in some areas.

  Severe weather could lead to downed powerlines and trees. Use caution if you must travel during the storm.

• Wednesday, September 25, 2024:

  Currently, WJBF is predicting significant impacts from Helene in the CSRA. It’s expected the storm could become a major hurricane before it makes landfall near the Florida Panhandle late Thursday. The CSRA will likely be on the east side of the storm, which is expected to be a tropical storm when it begins to impact the area. WJBF currently lists threats of flooding possible with 3 to 5 inches of rain, wind gusts between 40-60 miles per hour, a few brief spin-up tornadoes possible, and scattered to widespread power outages. The highest flooding threat will be to the western part of the CSRA, while the highest tornado threat lies in the southern part of the area. And the eastern part of the CSRA may have the highest wind damage.

• Thursday, September 26, 2024

  Hurricane Helene has been upgraded to Category 4 as of 6:30 pm as it nears the coast of Florida with winds topping 130 mph and life-threatening storm surge of up to 20 feet. The National Hurricane Center projects Helene will be a Category 2 hurricane by the time it reaches South Georgia overnight. Emergency officials across Georgia are warning residents across the state to be on alert for heavy rainfall, falling trees, downed power lines and washed out roads. A flash flood warning is in effect for Columbia, Richmond, Burke, McDuffie, Aiken, Edgefield and McCormick Counties until 7:30 pm. As of 5:00 pm, more than 5 inches of rain had been recorded at Bush Field. An additional 3 to 6 inches of rain are possible once the main rain event arrives from Hurricane Helene after midnight. A tornado watch remains in effect for parts of Georgia and South Carolina, including the CSRA, until 9:00 tonight.

  Curfew Goes Into Effect in Jefferson County

  Jefferson County Sheriff Gary Hutchins says a curfew will go into effect at 9:00 tonight. It will last until noon on Friday, September 27. During those hours it will be unlawful for any person to travel, loiter, wander or stroll in or upon the public streets, highways, roads, lanes, parks or other public grounds, public places, public buildings, places of amusement, eating places, vacant lots or any other place within Jefferson County. See the latest closings and delays below for Aiken and Richmond Counties. WJBF has a Vipir 6 Alert Day in effect all day Thursday. Western and northern areas in the CSRA have a low threat of damaging wind gusts and the potential for isolated tornadoes. By Thursday afternoon, some western counties could see 3 to 4 inches of rain. Wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour are possible throughout the morning and increasing into the afternoon. Currently, WJBF is predicting that 12 a.m. through 4 a.m. on Friday will be the most active period of heavy rain and potentially damaging winds. Helene is expected to reach category 4 strength before it makes landfall in the Florida panhandle. The storm will remain a hurricane over much of the state of Georgia. The hurricane is currently tracking to shift more to the west, which means slightly less impact, but all counties are under a Tropical Storm Warning with the threat of flooding, damaging winds, and tornadoes.

• Friday, September 27, 2024

  Storm damage reports are rolling in. Many trees and power lines are down, causing destruction to homes, businesses, vehicles, and more. Power outages are also reported all over the CSRA. Crews are working to remove trees from roadways and restore power, but please remember this is a major catastrophe and may take time. Law enforcement and city officials are still asking people to stay off the roads as much as possible to clear the way for first responders and linemen.

  https://www.facebook.com/ColumbiaCtyGa/videos/1037247054799729/

  WJBF has photos coming in from damage around the CSRA. You can see those here.   A flash flood warning is in effect for Columbia, Richmond, Burke, and McDuffie counties until 8 a.m. Heavy rain is falling across the area between 2-5 inches, with the expected rainfall rate is between 1-3 inches in 2 hours. Some locations that will experience flash flooding include: North Augusta, Grovetown, Evans, Thomson, Waynesboro, Fort Eisenhower, Martinez, Augusta, Hephzibah, Harlem, Midville, South Augusta, Augusta Mall, Gough, McBean, Daniel Field, Village Plaza Shopping Center, Augusta Regional Airport, Glendale and Summerville. This includes the following highways: Interstate 20 in Georgia between mile markers 167 and 201. Interstate 520 in Georgia between mile markers 1 and 15. Reports of 60+ mile per hour winds, with wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour around the CSRA. Power outages are continuing to happen around the area, with some road closures being reported as well.

  Roads Closed Due to Flooding

  Columbia County currently has the following road closures in place:

  • • 🚧 Owens Road

  • • 🚧 Appling Harlem Road @ Browns Road

  • • 🚧The Pass at Saddletree Lane

  • • 🚧 Saddletree Lane @ Butterfield Court

  • • 🚧 Reynolds Farm Road

  • • 🚧 Mill Branch Road

  Other Road Closures:

  • • Highway 80 between East Coursey Road and Susie Bailey Road in Burke County

  • • Grovetown: Old Berzelia Road is blocked on the section of road closest to Newmantown Road. The Grovetown Trails at Euchee Creek are also closed.

  • • I-20 EB at the entry ramp from W. Martintown Road. Standing water on the road. Use extreme caution

  Remember: Just a few inches of fast-moving water on the road can cause a car to lose control or stall!

  • • 12 inches of running water can carry away a car

  • • 2 feet of running water can carry away most SUVs and trucks.

  • • Just 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock over an adult.

  • • Any time you come to a flooded road, Turn Around, Don’t Drown

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