Augusta, GA
Augusta community in shambles after Hurricane Helene
‘This storm literally spared no one’: Kemp in Augusta
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp surveyed Hurricane Helene’s damage across Augusta, vowing to get everything cleaned up for residents.
AUGUSTA, Ga. – From the air, the view of Hurricane Helene’s toll in Augusta is staggering. Neighborhoods were left in disarray from the storm’s strong winds, which toppled trees and knocked down power lines.
“That’s my house, I lived here for my daughter’s entire life,” said Crystal Watson, who has lived in the home for about a decade.
As Hurricane Helene tore through, four trees came crashing down, narrowly missing two bedrooms where people were sleeping.
“Just looking at my house, I just feel thankful because we’re all okay,” Watson said. “We’re all okay. We’re able to stay here. We’re able to sleep here at night and I know that it’s probably a lot worse for other people.”
Around the area, damage can be found everywhere; on Monday morning, Governor Brian Kemp got a bird’s-eye view.
“This hurricane looks as if a 250-mile-wide tornado has hit,” he said.
SEE ALSO: Death toll rises to 25 in Georgia, Biden asked to approve disaster declaration
Gov. Kemp says the death toll in Georgia stands at 25, including a 27-year-old mother and her one-month-old twin boys who died when a tree fell onto their mobile home just west of Augusta.
Kemp says he is working with federal partners to get help where it is needed.
“This storm literally spared no one,” he said.
The governor stated that at the height of the storm, 1.3 million people were in the dark; however, in the days since, hundreds of thousands have had their power restored. For Georgia Power service areas alone, company officials say more than 7,000 power poles had to be repaired or replaced, more than 700 miles of new wires had to be strung, more than 1,200 new transformers installed, and more than 3,000 trees had to be removed from lines.
For the Watson family, recovery will take some time, but they have insurance. They said their community has really come together during this difficult time.
“We’ve become really close with our neighbors of ten years because of this. It sucks that it takes that kind of disaster to make it happen,” Watson said. “I am glad that communities are helping each other out, and we still have some good humanity left out there.”
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Several artists came together for a Mother’s Day concert Bethel Community Church Family Life Center.
Lucresha Thomas with Psalm 100 Entertainment said the event honors mothers.
“I think that is very important to honor the mothers because there’s some people that don’t have mothers due, the mothers passing away and mothers not being local,” Thomas said. “So this helps bring them together and they’re able to fellowship with other mothers and just be positive, bringing some gospel to the community where they can fellowship together, be blessed and maybe receive a blessing.”
Host Tommy Ingram said groups from across the area participated in the concert.
“We got a live, a lot of groups coming from all over the area to make sure that all the mothers in the area have a good time today,” Ingram said.
Host Adrian Monet said the free concert gives back to the community.
“Well, okay, yeah, a lot of mothers enjoy some good gospel singing. They love gospel concerts,” Monet said. “And this one is a give back, you know, to the community because it’s completely free. And so it’s a chance for people to bring their mothers to enjoy the music that they love so much.”
Erica and Jessica Harris, co-owners of Sophisticated Soul Food, said they wanted to celebrate mothers.
“Okay, we’re out here today for this pre-Mother’s Day event, and we’re just, we just want to give back to the community and celebrate all mothers,” the co-owners said. “And so we’re so excited to be out here. And we have great soul food for everybody that wants to come out.”
Kenneth Medlock, Tyrell Gibson and Gary Durham of The Country Boys, a gospel group from Thomson, said they were honored to participate.
“So we’re just so grateful to be here and honored to be able to stand up and let the world know how good God is through our songs and our praise,” the group said.
Anthony Gallant and Lamont McDowell, members of a gospel group from the Carolinas, said celebrating mothers is important.
“Oh yeah, I think it’s extremely important because mothers work hard throughout the year. They’re very diligent,” Gallant and McDowell said. “And I think at least if you could celebrate them one time, just make them feel special and that the queens that they are, I think it’s important and they’ll feel that love.”
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Democratic candidate for Georgia governor Olu Brown visited Augusta on Friday evening, stopping near the Sand Hills Community Center as early voting continues.
Brown is one of six candidates in the Democratic primary.
Campaign priorities
Brown said his vision as governor would focus on three main areas.
“One, it’s affordability around health care and making sure we expand Medicaid and expand Peach Care and make sure we continue to make our rural health care systems healthy and vital,” Brown said. “Number two, we’ve got to address education in all of Georgia, making sure every kid in Georgia gets an excellent education, and we’re paying our teachers more. And number 3, we’re protecting the rights of all women. Folks in the Gold Dome shouldn’t be making decisions about their bodies or the choices that they make.”
Brown is running against Amanda Duffy, Derrick Jackson, Geoff Duncan, Jason Esteves, Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mike Thurmond.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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