Augusta, GA
2 weeks after Helene, storm recovery continues across CSRA
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – It’s been two weeks now since Helene blew through our area and changed life as we know it.
14 days in, and it seems we’re getting better at adapting.
Some communities have recovered quickly from the damage, while others look like the storm just came through the other day.
If you drive around the CSRA, you’ll see what Hurricane Helene left behind.
Debris, downed power lines and even smashed cars. But several people say the scene looks a lot different than it did the day of the storm.
For many, instead of trees, it’s a tarp.
Roads that were blocked before are at least drivable.
Charles Bailey lives in North Augusta and says he and his wife are just trying to get back to normal.
“We’re starting to get groceries back in our refrigerator and freezer, and we’re just doing the cleanup of all the debris that’s left from the trees,” said Bailey.
But sounds he typically didn’t hear before have become all too familiar.
“Backing up, the beeping. Then, there’s gonna be a lot of chainsaws going for a while. It’s gonna be, like, humming to your ears,” he said.
He says normal for him is get the debris cleaned up.
“This is not normal. I mean, this is extraordinarily devastating. And to live with it. You just don’t want to live with it as long as possible,” said Bailey.
North Augusta says next week they will shift more towards clean-up.
Mayor Briton Williams says the debris left behind from power lines will be cleaned up by Dominion Energy.
For others in Augusta, they say they haven’t found their normal yet.
“I’m wondering how a lot of us are going to be able to put all of the pieces back together, being that we can barely go through the streets,” said Augusta resident Barbara Drane-Ealey.
Although the progress is slower than some may want, it’s still happening.
Richmond County started with nearly 94,000 outages, and Georgia Power now only shows 55.
“I think everybody is doing their best as far as circumstances go,” said Drane-Ealey.
North Augusta started with more than 14,000 outages and now has five homes without power.
Richmond County also says they are ramping up the amount of debris clean-up trucks every day.
But several say they know this will be a slow process and many areas may never look the same.
Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The second annual Juneteenth trail ride took place on Old Waynesboro Road in Augusta on Saturday.
The event featured trail rides with horses and ATVs, a mechanical bull contest and music.
People shopped at vendors, and there was entertainment for kids, including a petting zoo, inflatables and games.
“It’s really a privilege just to be able to have the opportunity to share my space, to share my area, and to share for an event with so much value, to give back to my community and a place to celebrate,” said Davon Wallace, chief of operations at Crimson Hills.
Wallace said they will be hosting more events, with a haunted trail coming in October.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has made multiple arrests in a deadly shooting that left one teenager dead and another injured early Saturday morning.
According to deputies, the incident happened June 20, at approximately 12:50 a.m. in the 200 block of Warren Road, where authorities responded to reports of shots fired involving two gunshot victims.
When deputies arrived, they located two 18-year-old men from Augusta.
Officials identified the victims as Eric Markquis Bartley Miller and Joseph Lamar Thomas.
Investigators say Miller sustained at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thomas was also found with at least one gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under active investigation.
As of Saturday afternoon, three teenage suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
18-year-old Dmihjay Collins, 17-year-old Tayshaun Thomas, and 17-year-old Joseph Thomas have all been arrested and charged with Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of Machine Guns. They are all currently being held at the Webster Detention Center.
A fourth teenager, 17-year-old Reante Byrd was also arrested, but investigators have not linked him to the murder case. Byrd has been charged with Possession of a Pistol or Revolver by a Person Under the Age of 18. He is also being held in the Webster Detention Center.
No further details in the investigation have been released.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Students showcased drones they built during a two-week summer camp at Augusta Regional Airport on Friday.
12 junior and high school students attended the camp, where they learned to fly and build drones designed to help others.
Anderson Puryear, a student, said the camp focused on delivering small medical supplies.
“It was focused on delivering small medical supplies like an EPI pen or glucose packet for like diabetics and for people with allergies in need in the real world that could obviously help save lives, and if people are like in a place in a boat or like in the desert or in the forest where they can’t easily access those supplies it can save their lives,” Puryear said.
The airport partnered with Georgia Tech, state troopers and the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Department for the Air Edu Summer Camp.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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