Decades of infrastructure 'destroyed in four hours': North Augusta still 38% dark a week after Helene (2024)

One week after Tropical Storm Helene ravaged North Augusta and the surrounding communities, recovery efforts are progressing even as many remain without power or, across the river in Augusta, without water.

As of early Friday morning, 40% of Dominion Energy’s Aiken County customers and 48% of its Edgefield County customers were without power, down from 95% a week ago.

In Augusta, 36% of Georgia Power’s Augusta-Richmond County customers were without power Friday.

As with Aiken County, Richmond County had been about 95% without power the day after Helene hit the area with rain and winds just a hair below full Hurricane force.

The curfew that has been in place in Augusta is now adjusted to go from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Augusta Richmond County also removed the boil water advisory that had been in effect since late Sept. 30.

The curfew that was in place in Aiken County has been removed since Sept. 29.

Relief efforts throughout the Central Savannah River Area have been picking up as more and more streets are cleared of debris and fallen trees. Access to utility poles and homes is getting easier. Tarps now cover roofs and windows that had been caved in or broken through by Helene. Businesses are reopening.

“There’s progress. People need to understand that decades upon decades of infrastructure in Aiken County was literally destroyed in four hours. It’s unprecedented,” North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams told Post and Courier North Augusta early Friday afternoon, Oct. 4.

At that point, the city of North Augusta was doing better for power than Aiken County as a whole. Williams relayed the information he’s received that of the city’s 14,000 households, just under 5,400 were still without power. About 85% of the traffic signals throughout the city had also been restored.

“We’re just going to continue doing what we’re doing,” Williams said.

Williams, others on the city council and North Augusta departmental leadership have been meeting twice a day this week with officials from Dominion, the National and South Carolina State Guard and South Carolina Department of Transportation.

Dominion Energy had restored power to 15 of 20 substation breakers, a first step in the recovery process, according to a detailed update from Williams that was posted to the city’s public information Facebook page Oct. 3

Still left was restoring 13 gang switch level breakers. “Think of these as the backbone of the system to be fully operational,” Williams said. “Once these are up and running, then they can address tap level outages, which is the point where the power goes into neighborhoods.”

Williams also said that the fuel distribution centers are back up running as power continues to spread through the Exit 5 corridor, something that should help with the gas supply throughout the CSRA.

The Red Cross is scheduled to soon deliver about 200 meals to North Augusta’s nursing homes, including Walnut Crossing, Hammond Square, Brookdale, NHC HealthCare, and both Havenwood Camellia and Edgewater senior apartments.

“It’s just a matter of time to get everything to where we need it to be,” Williams said.

North Augusta City Council will convene for its regular session Oct. 7. Recovery updates are the only business on the agenda.

Additional information will continue to be pushed out via the city’s public information Facebook page as well. Assistance efforts will be in place through the weekend and, according to Williams, for as long as it takes to get the city back to full power.

North Augusta’s aid station at the community center on Brookside Drive —where MREs and water, plus a charging station are available — is operating from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. for Aiken and Edgefield county residents who bring their proof of I.D. or other proof of South Carolina residency. MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat are meals that need no other preparation than adding water to them.

North Augusta has also suspended water shut-offs and late fees for its customers.

“There will be NO late fees, NO shut offs. The drop box at the Municipal Building is the ONLY form of payment we can take at this time. More information will follow as it becomes available,” the Oct. 3 Facebook post reads.

The Family YMCA of Greater Augusta has been able to re-open most of its nine locations — including those in North Augusta, Aiken and Barnwell — to offer some shelter services, namely showers and electricity.

As the immediate needs of food and water, debris clearing and power increasingly are met, there’s now also the caution to beware of scams.

North Augusta City Councilman Eric Presnell, who also serves as vice president at Aiken Augusta Security, advised that a legitimate contractor or tradesman wouldn't go door-knocking for business and that citizens should check with the city’s building standards department to verify their legitimacy.

But government employees with the Federal Emergency Management Agency might show up at your door. If so, they will have a government-issued identification card with photo.

Tropical Storm Helene was federally declared a natural disaster for affected counties in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, opening these areas up to FEMA assistance that ranges from immediate food and water needs to temporary housing solutions and business, non-profit and local government aid.

Vice President Kamala Harris announced Wednesday while in Augusta that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s request for full reimbursement of local recovery costs has also been approved.

Already more than 100,000 Georgians and 88,000 South Carolinians had applied for FEMA assistance (with $4.4 million already distributed in South Carolina), according to the White House.

North Augusta Mayor Williams said he and others in Aiken County are awaiting a FEMA representative who will be on site locally and help coordinate federal assistance to families, businesses and governments.

FEMA was expected to arrive in Aiken County late in the afternoon Oct. 4.