Augusta, GA
501 trees cleared to open just one 3-mile trail in Augusta, GA after Hurricane Helene
By now everyone is aware of the damage Hurricane Helene brought to the mountain communities in and around Asheville, North Carolina and the surrounding Pisgah National Forest. Augusta, GA was hit hard by the storm too, and while flooding wasn’t as widespread or catastrophic there as it was in western North Carolina, thousands of trees rooted in rain-soaked soil were toppled by the strong winds that whipped through the area.
“We had over 100 miles of trail here, but unfortunately hurricane Helene took us down to none,” Angela Allen told me. Allen is the Communications Chair and work party coordinator for the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) Southern Off Road Biking Association (SORBA) chapter. The volunteer group is responsible for maintaining more than 100 miles of singletrack, and had just finished their annual three-month-long foliage maintenance work cleaning every inch of those trails the weekend before the storm hit. Their celebration of a job well done was short lived.
Just this week, Augusta Mayor Garnett L. Johnson held a press conference with representatives from FEMA to give an update on recovery efforts following the record-breaking storm. Nearly a month after Helene, which initially left the entire city without power, communications remain limited. “More than 95% of our residents still may remain without internet, and cell service to this date still remains to be spotty in some areas. Thousands of homes and properties sustained significant damage, and tragically, some of our fellow Augustans lost their lives,” he said. In the press conference, City Administrator Tameka Allen noted that the city had only recently been able to restore all traffic signals to full functionality.
Jake Veriato, SORBA CSRA President, said that local mountain bikers got to work immediately, clearing trees off their own homes, driveways, and roadways, and helping neighbors do the same. After some time, there was a desire to get at least a small sliver of singletrack open for mountain biking again.
“A lot of them just wanted a break from helping the community and wanted to help the community in another way, which is to get back out into the forest.” For many area riders, a quick mountain bike ride was exactly what they needed to recharge.
SORBA CSRA rallied 186 volunteers, including 26 certified Sawyer teams, to focus on getting the Canal singletrack trail re-opened. The flowy singletrack trail, located between the Augusta canal and Savannah river, is the only mountain bike trail within the city limits, which made it a good trail for volunteers to focus on. Allen and Canal trail champion John Pilcher “went out there two separate days to literally climb under and over logs [tying flags] so you can see where the trail went,” Allen said. All told, 501 trees were cleared and 746 volunteer hours were logged.
“We thought that would be the best for the trail community to get at least one trail system open and we achieved that,” Veriato said.
Looking beyond the Canal trail, most Augusta-area singletrack lies on land that’s under state and federal land management. “We still don’t have access to the Forest Service trails in the Long Cane Ranger District, which is okay, they are working through it,” said Veriato.
SORBA CSRA is still in triage mode, assessing which trails are even accessible at this point, and whether infrastructure like bridges and signage will need to be repaired. No doubt there are many more trees that need to be cleared.
“It’s easy to see the long road we have ahead of us. I mean, you’re talking thousands upon thousands of trees, thousands of man hours, thousands of days out there,” Veriato said. “So yeah, it’s going to be tough.”
To volunteer, or donate funds to SORBA CSRA to help offset the cost of fuel and equipment, visit sorbacsra.org.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Georgia Library Director of the Year was honored at a ceremony in Jefferson County.
Christina Shepherd received the award and a county proclamation. Jefferson County officials also honored the library board during the ceremony.
“I’m very thankful. I think it’s great for Jefferson County to have this award brought here and bringing light to us,” Shepherd said. “I don’t think I do anything extraordinary that any librarian wouldn’t do, but I just keep doing it. I appreciate it. I’m thankful.”
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The Augusta/CSRA Habitat for Humanity has been awarded $1.85 million to build new affordable homes in Augusta’s historic Turpin Hill neighborhood.
The federal funding was secured with the support of Georgia’s U.S. Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock.
The funding will expand housing opportunities for working families and revitalize one of Augusta’s oldest communities.
“Turpin Hill is one of Augusta’s oldest and most storied neighborhoods, a community built by generations of hardworking families whose roots run deep in this city,” said Bernadette Kelliher, President and CEO of Augusta/CSRA Habitat for Humanity.
“These new homes will reflect the strength of the neighborhood’s past while creating a foundation for families to build their futures. This is about restoration, dignity, and ensuring that the next generation can write their own chapter in this historic community.”
This federal investment strengthens ongoing efforts to expand affordable housing opportunities across Augusta.
“Georgia families urgently need more affordable housing. That’s why Senator Reverend Warnock and I brought Republicans and Democrats together to strengthen the Augusta/CSRA Habitat for Humanity’s efforts to build new housing units for families across Augusta and the CSRA,” said Ossoff.
Senator Raphael Warnock added, “This investment demonstrates what is possible when Congress works together to support communities and families in need. We are in a housing crisis. America is not building enough housing and costs are continuing to soar.”
Since its founding in 1986, Augusta/CSRA Habitat for Humanity has partnered with families, volunteers and community supporters to build and preserve homes throughout the Central Savannah River Area.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – More homes are available for rent during Masters week this year compared to last year, with some homeowners scrambling to prepare their properties in the final weeks before the tournament.
Some homeowners have been preparing for months, while others are trying to complete renovations in the remaining weeks before the tournament.
Julia Quick, a homeowner, said her family has been working on improvements every night. Her husband handles repairs and projects, while she packs a room each evening after work. The family hired Carolina Carpentry and Construction to paint the house and brought in cleaners this week as a trial run for next week.
“We’ve got some landscapers come in Saturday, got pallets of sod and pine straw and mulch to be put out and some new plants,” Quick said.
More homeowners enter rental market
Quick said more people are renting their homes this year compared to last year.
“Everybody I talked to was talking about renting their house this year, and last year, most everybody was talking about not renting their house. So it seems that it’s more saturated,” Quick said.
Stacey Greenway, vice president of tournament housing, said she has never seen this many homes registering this late in the season.
“I definitely think that with Helene remodeling everything, it gave a lot of homeowners the opportunity to get into the rental market,” Greenway said.
Greenway said the number of homes registering has increased. In March, three to five homes typically register per week. Now three to five homes are registering daily.
“A lot of people are still not rented, so they’re starting to reach out to other agencies and list with those as well,” Greenway said.
Homeowners adjusting strategies
Some homeowners are lowering prices, booking vacations to leave Augusta or leaving keys with rental companies in hopes their properties will be rented while they are gone.
Quick said she has noticed less traffic on rental platforms.
“I noticed a lot less traffic because like with Airbnb when I went through there, I can see and have some conversations back and forth,” Quick said.
Quick said the increased supply could benefit visitors but may affect future rental decisions for homeowners.
“It’ll be great for people coming into town because that’s going to drive the price down. Might make it not as lucrative for us to rent our house out in the future because if I can’t, first we have to pay for the vacation and doing all the things because I’m not going to rent the house if it doesn’t look perfect for somebody to come stay in,” Quick said.
Rental companies said some homeowners are willing to accept lower prices this year and hope for better rates next year.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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