AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – It’s been more than two months since Hurricane Helene hit the area leaving behind a path of destruction.

Augusta Mayor Garnett Johnson updated the community at a town hall meeting Tuesday night on cleanup efforts in Richmond County.

City leaders are encouraging people to stay patient as crews are weeks away from completing their first pass-through of the county.

Contractors say they’re about 90% done and are getting ready for the next phase, which will start in the new year.

Deborah Jones says she feels like everyone else sees crews picking up debris, but not in her neighborhood.

“They don’t come up the street, they stop at one location, and then they’re gone, and you don’t see them again,” says Jones, an Augusta citizen. “So, I guess I’m like everybody else. When is it going to happen?”

With 1.9 million cubic yards of debris collected and only weeks from completing an entire pass-through of the county, residents like Sheila Spivey say they see the progress.

“I see them go up and down, Walter Way up and down, Heard Avenue up to south Augusta,” says Spivey, an Augusta citizen. “They’re doing what they can, but it is a big job.”

City leaders say the plan is more than just debris removal, they’re now making bids toward a long-term recovery contract to rebuild Augusta.

“That means everything that’s been going on, from degree to mitigation to rebuilding, to all our respective agencies that we can discuss our HUD applications, our funding that’s going to be there to oversee to make sure that we can get Augusta back to where it originally was,” says Tameka Allen, Augusta city administrator.

A plan residents say they’re ready to see the other end of as many just want normalcy back on their property lines.

“My front yard is covered in debris, so I can’t see out of my front yard,” says Jones. “We can’t do anything in our yard because of the debris. So, I’m trying to be patient, but it’s kind of hard.”

City leaders say the next phase will involve removing larger debris normal trucks can’t pick up as well as getting rid of construction-based debris.

They say although there are about 15 days left on the FEMA deadline, they will continue the work until everything is done.

If you missed this town hall meeting, another will take place on Dec. 17 at Diamond Lakes at 6 p.m.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) -The Augusta town hall on recovery from Hurricane Helene is underway.

City leadership is gathering to provide an update on where we are, going on three months since the storm.

We were out in some of our harder-hit neighborhoods on Tuesday and there are many mixed emotions about how people feel about where the city stands after the hurricane.

People are bringing their questions with them and some even submitted them ahead of time.

All asking about debris pick up, wire and cable collection, recycling and construction debris.

And local leaders say they are ready to answer any questions people might have.

“This is going to last well into 2025, and I think we need to set realistic expectations with everybody on what’s going on,” said Sean Frantom, District 7 commissioner.

It has been more than 70 days since the hurricane and more than 70 days of people waiting for the city to get back to a new normal, but local leaders say it takes time.

“People have to understand that the resources are spread between Florida, Georgia and even Columbia County and that there’s only so many resources to go around,” said Frantom.

He thinks they’re making good progress and is hoping the meetings will help explain how.

“We just opened up a new site off Sand Bar Ferry Road for that,” said Frantom. “We’re getting about 11,000 cubic yards each day going there to try to lighten the load over at Eisenhower. As far as like, where we are as a community, I think we’re doing very well, but this is going to be a process that people just got to be patient with.”

All while also trying to clear confusion and relieve any stress.

“FEMA is the paying agency. These are contractors to the contractor that we’ve hired to come and do this,” said Frantom. “We have over 80 trucks right now moving through the community. They’re going to come back, but if things are not at the road, they’re not going to be picked up.”

While reminding everyone that those who are helping us are people too.

“We’ve picked up 1.8 million cubic yards. I think the only day they’ve taken off is Thanksgiving,” said Frantom. They’re going to take off some days around Christmas, and people are going to be like, ‘Where are they?’ ‘Why hasn’t this been picked up?’ people are having Christmas parties, and they think that the medians and everything is going to be clear, so people can park there. Unfortunately, just not going to happen. I mean, and I think when you have a little grace and appreciate these people, because they’ve been in our community for 80 days now, nonstop, and they’re doing an incredible job, but it’s just going to take time.”

Even though the FEMA deadline is approaching, they are trying to get it extended.

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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A Richmond County woman has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for defrauding a COVID-19 small business relief program.

Kameka Bausley, 43, of Augusta, was sentenced to 32 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud, said Jill E. Steinberg, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

U.S. District Court Judge Dudley H. Bowen also ordered Bausley to pay $71,933 in restitution and to serve three years of supervised release upon completion of her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.

“Congress provided more than $600 billion in funding to help small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Steinberg. “Unfortunately, that level of funding also attracted scam artists. With our law enforcement partners, we will continue to hold accountable those who illegally profit from safety net programs.”

As described in court documents and at sentencing, Bausley, was a U.S. Postal Service employee collecting workers’ compensation benefits when she defrauded the Small Business Administration by using fabricated revenue and expense information about her catering business to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and Paycheck Protection Program funding, ultimately receiving deposits totaling $71,933 through the two Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act Programs.

“This sentencing underlines our dedication to holding people accountable who exploit federal relief programs for personal gain,” said Jonathan Ulrich, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General (USPS-OIG). “As proven in this case, our criminal investigators and the legal teams at the U.S. Attorney’s Office will diligently pursue anyone who attempts to commit COVID-19 fraud and exploit programs created to help legitimate people and businesses affected by the global pandemic.”

The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted for the United States by Southern District of Georgia Assistant U.S. Attorney George J.C. Jacobs III.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

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