Augusta group says thanks to first responders after Helene

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – It’s been 50 days since Hurricane Helene made its way to our area.

The road to recovery across the two-state hasn’t been a fast or easy one.

Many people have been working long days and nights to get back to where we used to be.

On Saturday, Project City Serve spent the early afternoon and evening thanking our local heroes.

In Richmond County, trucks have picked up more than 1 million cubic yards of debris, and Columbia County is sitting at more than 900,000 cubic yards.

This fall has been full of emotions — both good and bad — and Leaders say nothing brings a smile to faces quite like food and fun.

Project City Serve gathered at the Augusta Commons for food trucks, a free meal for local heroes and fun as a way to say thank you to those who have given clean-up efforts their all.

“Things were going crazy because of the storm. As a committee, we joined together and said, you know, there’s a lot of service going on in the city, but we need to celebrate it,” said Luke Niday, executive director of the City of Alliance.

“A lot of the first responders have been super excited that somebody would just say thanks. A lot of them had to work 16-hour days, 18-hour days just to help in the course of the storm. And some of them got some of them got told thanks, and some of them got cussed out. So, it’s a great honor just to be able to say, ‘Hey, we’re thankful for what you doing and we see you,” he said.

As crews continue to work, they ask that you have patience.

Officials say to not burn your debris.

They say it’s so dry that even something as small as the end of a cigarette can cause big problems.

If you have debris, make sure it is vegetation only and it’s in a pile on the street but not blocking the roadway.

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