Deanne Criswell has seen plenty of storm damage in her role as the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency; however, even she was taken aback by the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
“As I have traveled many of the states that have been impacted, I still am shocked at how much destruction came inland from a hurricane that made landfall in Florida,” said Criswell, who was in Augusta Oct. 23 to meet with Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson and other officials.
Florida saw storm surge; Georgia incurred wind damage; North Carolina saw massive amounts of rain over a condensed time period, but it all equaled devastation.
“Every state has a different type of impact, but for that individual, that homeowner, it doesn’t matter. They’ve lost their home; they’ve lost their belongings; they’re temporarily displaced. That’s why we bring all our programs to bear to make sure we can give each family what they need for their specific situation,” she said.
So far, 60,555 area residents have applied for assistance, according to Johnson. Across Georgia, 333,000 individuals have already registered and $159 million has been distributed, Criswell said.
“That number will go up,” Criswell said.
There is a Disaster Relief Center set up in Augusta at the HUB on Chaffee Avenue. People can also apply online at disasterassistance.gov or call (800) 621-3362 (FEMA). In addition, there are disaster relief specialists who are going into areas to meet people and find out their needs. This might mean canvassing neighborhoods or going to places where people congregate such as a grocery store, Criswell said.
These FEMA employees will be wearing FEMA shirts and have identification, she said.
“They can help you figure out what paperwork you need to submit,” she said.
FEMA also has “a full suite” of programs such as rental reimbursement for those who have been temporarily displaced.
Criswell pledged FEMA’s support to help people get the assistance they are supposed to receive.
“We are here for the long haul,” she said.
While much progress has been made since Helene came through the area on Sept. 27, Johnson said more needed to be done, and he urged people to be patient.
About 95% of people lost power in the storm. That has been restored to most people but work to restore internet continues and cell phone service is still spotty in areas, he said.
Clean-up will take time. So far, 408,000 cubic yards of debris has been collected and taken to three sites – Eisenhower Park, Fleming Park and Lake Olmstead stadium. He urged people to stay away from these areas for safety reasons.
He contrasted Helene with the 2014 winter storm Pax, noting that Pax produced about 875,000 cubic yards of debris. Johnson expects about 2 million cubic yards of debris to be collected when all is said and done. He also asked people to separate construction waste from vegetative debris to help streamline the process.
In other news, City Administrator Tameka Allen said that as of Wednesday, all traffic signals in Richmond County were operational and efforts to correct timing would be addressed in the coming days.
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.
