From loss of power and water to blocked roads, Hurricane Helene had a big impact on Augusta. That’s what its leaders looked to address Friday.

Several of them held a press conference outside the Augusta Utilities building on Friday afternoon. The first to speak was Mayor Garnett Johnson.

“Our community has been deeply impacted,” Johnson said. “We didn’t anticipate this to happen, but it did. Just know that we have a great team that’s working with us to make sure we restore Augusta the way we expect it.”

School closures: Augusta schools extends closure after Helene. Here are the latest from local K-12, college

Richmond County Sheriff Richard Roundtree said they started bringing in additional resources to help them at about 2 a.m. While there is no curfew, residents are asked to shelter in place as much as possible.

“If there’s not a necessary reason for you to leave your home, please stay in place,” Roundtree said. “First responders will try to get to you as quick as we can….but we have multiple vehicle accidents, trees down through out the city. This was a very impactful storm.”

Augusta Fire and EMA Chief Antonio Burden said they have requested additional resources like water for those without it and those resources are on the way. Tree crews are out trying to assist the fire department. Residents can place their yard debris on the curb and it will be picked up.

To address outages, Georgia Power is sending 1,000 workers who will be staged in the parking lot of the James Brown Arena. According to USA Today’s “Off the Grid” Outage tracker, more than 96,000 outages were reported on Friday.

Because of a heavy increase in call volume to 911, residents were encouraged to use 311 for non-life threatening emergency needs like a fallen tree. Welfare checks are being provided for concerned residents.

Georgia State Representative Brian Prince highlighted how the cleanup is going to require collaboration between different agencies and individuals.

“We have to come together in a time like this,” Prince said. “We’ll make sure we get through this, but we can only do it together.”

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – When you dine out, you trust you’re eating in a clean and safe environment – each week we go through restaurant scores in Richmond, Columbia and Aiken counties.

We show you the top three highest and lowest scores.

We also tell you how they got that grade.

It’s a 76 for Tuff Luck 2 on Milledgeville Road in Augusta.

That’s for chicken at improper temperatures, no previous inspection posted and grease buildup.

China Wok on Tobacco Road in Hephzibah also scored a 76.

That’s for chicken stored over pork, uncovered food and food stored on the floor.

And Twin Peaks on Robert C. Daniel Parkway in Augusta scored a 78 for beef uncovered, no hair restraints and flies in the building.

There were also a lot of perfect scores.

• Ming House Express on Washington Road in Martinez
• Gong Cha of Augusta on Washington Road in Augusta
• The Soda Well on Herrington Drive in Grovetown
• McDonald’s on Peach Orchard Road in Augusta
• Dunkin Donuts on Walton Way in Augusta
• Papa John’s on Walton Way in Augusta
• Hawaiian Style BBQ II on Washington Road in Augusta
• Chicken Salad Chick on Washington Road in Augusta
• China 8 on East Martintown Road in North Augusta, which is also a follow-up inspection from last week. They did score a 73.
• It’s also 100′s for Bojangles on Edgefield Road in North Augusta and Bowl Boss Acai on Georgia Avenue in North Augusta.

Copyright 2024 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A Richmond County man was sentenced after he entered a guilty plea to a federal charge related to a bomb threat last year targeting the Social Security Administration’s Augusta office, we learned on Thursday.

Keyon Tishaye Dickens, 38, of Augusta, was sentenced to 36 months after he pleaded guilty to using a telephone to make a threat to injure a person or damage a building by explosives, according to prosecutors.

U.S. District Court Judge J. Randal Hall also ordered Dickens to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term.

There is no parole in the federal system.

“Threats of violence against workers and customers of any facility are completely unacceptable,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “We commend our law enforcement partners for ensuring the safety of those in the Social Security office and assisting in holding Keyon Dickens accountable for his actions.”

He could’ve gotten up to 10 years in prison.

As described in the plea agreement, Dickens received a notice in September 2023 that the Social Security Administration intended to recoup overpayments to his Supplemental Security Income from future checks.

He called the Social Security Administration office in Augusta to complain and stated, “I’m going to shoot the office up and I’m going to blow it up. I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do.”

Dickens visited the office on Oct. 10, 2023, carrying a backpack and showed a note that read “I have a bomb” to a security officer.

The officer notified the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the building was locked down and evacuated. No bomb was found, and Richmond County deputies took Dickens into custody.

“Keyon Dickens’ malicious actions are criminal and intolerable. This sentence demonstrates that threats to Social Security employees and offices are felonious and will not be ignored. We will continue to aggressively respond to threats, investigate the perpetrators, and seek prosecution,” said Michelle L. Anderson, Acting SSA Inspector General. “I am thankful that there was no harm to SSA employees. I appreciate the immediate response from the security officers in the local SSA office, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives in investigating this matter and I thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office for prosecuting this case.”

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office, and prosecuted for the United States by Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.

Copyright 2023 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.