At least 25 Georgians died in the storm, Gov. Brian Kemp reported Monday at a briefing in Augusta, one of the areas hit hardest by the hurricane, which struck early Friday morning.
“This storm literally spared no one,” Kemp said after touring damage in the Augusta area. “It looked like a 250-mile-wide tornado had hit.”
After making landfall in the Big Bend area of Florida’s Gulf Coast Thursday night, Helene tore into the Valdosta area of South Georgia and headed northeast through the Augusta area before moving into the Carolinas. Most of the damage from high winds and heavy rains occurred east of Interstate 75.
About 1.3 million Georgians lost power at the storm’s peak, Kemp said Monday. Nearly 500,000 still were without electricity as of Monday morning.
“I know a lot of people are frustrated,” Kemp said. “[But] things are getting done. … It’s just going to take time.”
While most state highways are passable, Kemp said 573 traffic signals are out across the state. He urged motorists to treat each intersection without a working traffic light as a four-way stop.
Maj. Gen. Richard Wilson, commander of the Georgia National Guard, said about 1,500 members of the Guard are working around the state, transporting critical supplies including food, water, and generators. He said the track Helene took is making recovery efforts particularly difficult.
“This is the first time we’ve had this much damage statewide,” he said.
Chris Stallings, director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, said emergency shelters are housing 520 Georgians.
Stallings said nearly 700 cellphone sites are out of service. His agency has installed portable towers to handle 911 calls. Starting Monday, crews were opening emergency service centers to distribute food, water, ice, and cleaning supplies.
Kemp said he spoke to President Joe Biden late Sunday afternoon. Georgia has submitted an expedited emergency declaration request.
“This will help us get money flowing quicker to our state,” Kemp said. “We will work in a bipartisan way on disaster relief.”
— Dave Williams
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