Ga., S.C. Helene debris cleanup ramps up before winter weather
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - As winter weather approaches, crews are working to remove Helene debris in Georgia and South Carolina.
As temperatures drop and precipitation moves in, it’s more important than ever to get debris like this out of the roadways.
Augusta FEMA disaster recovery center moves to new location
The new FEMA disaster recovery center in Richmond County has opened and updated its new schedule on Tuesday.
Crews used a bucket truck to cut overhanging branches, chainsaws to remove trees leaning toward the roads, and large trucks to load them into and ship out.
Southern disaster recovery works with more than a dozen counties across Georgia as well as several in South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida to clean up after disasters like Helene.
Some smaller Georgia counties are re-starting their debris cleanup efforts after temporarily losing funding.
Many could miss last chance for debris pickup in Columbia County
Nearly five months after Hurricane Helene, Columbia County is now starting its final of debris pickup along the roads. So you'd better hurry, but follow the rules.
Counties like Burke, Jefferson and Glascock say the FEMA drop in reimbursement from 100% to 75% was definitely a time of uncertainty.
That cleanup is coming in handy this week with the potential for snow and ice today.
Mark Stafford said, “It’s a dormant contract that they can sit on the shelf, and when they need us to go to work, kind of like here, we go to work.”
Clearing ditches and waterways removes the possibility of flooding along roads and driveways.
Cutting back trees removes the threat of limbs that could fall onto roads or cars.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
