AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Augusta joined other local communities in ordering a curfew as the city grapples with hazards from a direct hit by Category 1 Hurricane Helene early Friday.

Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson declared a state of emergency Friday after the storm swept through the CSRA as a Category 1 storm, knocking down trees, tossing power lines and debris across roads and causing widespread flood flooding.

Augusta announced the curfew at 9:59 p.m. Friday – and it began one minute later at 10.

All bars and places of amusement must close at 10 p.m. and remain closed through 6 a.m. Saturday, the order states.

Beginning Saturday, there will be a curfew enforced by Richmond County Sheriff’s Office from 7 p.m. through 7 a.m. until further notice.

It came after the mayor and other local officials on Friday urged people to stay at home because roads and some other public areas aren’t safe, with storm debris, trees and power lines blocking thoroughfares or teetering on the brink of falling.

Columbia County imposed a curfew from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.

“This decision comes as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety and well-being of our community during ongoing efforts to remove debris, downed trees, and downed powerlines with community partners from the major thoroughfares throughout the county,” the Columbia County government said in a statement.

Under an emergency declaration, Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt instituted a curfew for Aiken County from 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Essential workers for local businesses and services and responders will be exempt from this curfew.

“This act is being used as a deterrence for anyone who would want to take advantage of our citizens who have been greatly impacted by the storm,” Hunt said. Violators and looters will be arrested, he said.

There’s also a curfew in Saluda County from 6:30 p.m. Friday until 8 a.m. on Saturday. That’s because there are so many highways and secondary roads with downed trees and power lines.

Jefferson County had a curfew overnight Thursday, expiring at noon Friday.

Although it stopped short of a curfew, the Burke County Sheriff’s Office issued an advisory for everyone to avoid leaving their homes for any reason.

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Helene came ashore overnight in the Big Bend of Florida as a Category 4 storm, then cut a path due north through Georgia.

It was expected to veer westward toward Atlanta but instead headed straight for Augusta, which got a direct hit.

The CSRA felt the worst of the storm between 4 and 6 a.m.

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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.

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