Janice Barrett ladled up homemade soup out of the back of a pickup truck in front of her Montclair home Monday, passing it out to anyone who might need a hot meal.
It was the second night in a row that Barrett had made an impromptu kitchen. Johanis Woods, her neighbor across the street, had fresh vegetables and some desserts from the Build Yo Poke Bowl restaurant where she worked. And the duo worked in tandem.
“We cooked chili last night,” said Barrett. “And my husband Jeff cooked barbecue.”
Without electricity in her home, it was cooking on the grill.
Johanis Woods and her husband, Joseph, drove out of the neighborhood in an attempt to find a signal to post about the hot meal to other nearby.
Several of Barrett’s neighbors chatted around the back of the pickup truck talking about the cost of tree removal and the rumors of other storms while they ate the soup.
“I wouldn’t usually make soup this time of year,” said Barrett, but it’s not the usual circumstance.
On Tuesday, Montclair residents and others across the area continued to dig out from beneath the multitude of pine trees and downed power lines that are the result of Hurricane Helene on Sept. 27.
Not far from Montclair at Warren Baptist Church on Tuesday, a water truck arrived for people to fill up containers. It was one of several in Richmond County.
Other businesses ramped up to help their neighbors. Koi Sushi on Washington Road provided free meals, and there were hotdogs at SRP Park in North Augusta.
Traffic signals along Washington Road were being restored and many were on, but several intersections are still missing signals altogether.
Pleasant Home Road was blocked as crews from Jersey Central worked to replace power poles and downed lines.
Much of Richmond County is under a boil water advisory, and power poles and debris represent hazards on the roadways.
Augusta’s Fire/EMA reported a geyser near Raw Water Pump Station, which is visible from River Watch Parkway.
“This is due to a tree breaking the air valve. Rest assured, the water you’re seeing is a very small percentage of what Augusta Utilities is currently pumping. The team will repair this issue once the plan has been fully stabilized,” according to aa Facebook post around 1 p.m. Tuesday.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years and is a Georgia Press Association award winner. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
