It’s been four weeks since Hurricane Helene touched down in the Augusta area, leaving a swath of destruction behind.
FEMA intends to be in Augusta for the “long haul,” according to its deputy regional administrator and a job fair will be held at May Park from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday as part of FEMA’s commitment to recovery efforts.
“Recovery, as the mayor pointed out, is a long process. This is not something that will take weeks or a few months, and we’re done. This will take years,” said Rob Ashe, FEMA deputy regional administrator, on Oct. 24 at a dinner discussion event at Good Shepherd Baptist Church. “But it’s an opportunity to repair some of the things that were broken. It’s also an opportunity to look at mitigation measures that allow us to look forward in terms of how we want to do things to prevent some of the damage that occurs when these storms do come. We’re not going to stop the storms, but we can do everything we can to try to mitigate against the effects they do have.”
FEMA will be setting up a branch in Augusta and hiring about 200 people, Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson said.
“These are going to be long-term jobs,” Johnson said at the Oct. 24 meeting.
The job fair specifically targets economically disadvantaged neighborhoods and those who may not have access to computers, he said.
FEMA representatives will be at the event to provide training on how to navigate through usajobs.gov website, create a profile and build an effective resume in the resume builder tool, according to a FEMA news release. Computers will be available at the fair to help attendees access the website and create their online profile.
Registration is not required to attend.
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.
