Augusta Sail Club needs help recovering from Helene
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - The impacts from Hurricane Helene are still felt across the CSRA.
“We have taken recovery very seriously to get the grounds open and keep them safe,” Ellen Smalley, the Treasurer of Augusta Sail Club, and Millie Smalley, a sailor, said. “Many of the parks around us still aren’t open and probably won’t be throughout the summer.”
But clearing the grounds of debris and lumber is not the only struggle the Augusta Sail Club has faced.
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“Replace one of the safety boats that we lost to the hurricane, so that is our priority right now. We’d love to have the funds that we need to get it so that we can use it all summer long,” Ellen Smalley says.
With a 120 new young sailors to watch during their camps this summer, safety is always top of mind.
“It’s important to be able to go out on the lake safely, especially when there are young children or new sailors going out for their first time,“ Millie Smalley says.
With new storm season here, are Augusta leaders ready for another Helene?
Because local leaders now know exactly what could happen in a worst-case scenario, the need for a hurricane playbook should be obvious, right?
They’re hoping to raise enough funds for a new safety boat to help teach young sailors.
“It’s helpful because the kids are able to come up and the instructors are able to be hands-on on the boat because a lot of these kids have never been on a sailboat before,” Emily Sternkopf, a camp instructor, explains.
They’re in need of around $18,000 more dollars to reach their goal.
You can help them reach their goal by donating to their Hurricane Helene Recovery Fund on their website.
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