Augusta, GA
‘One thing at a time’: North Augusta heads into next phase of debris cleanup
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -Debris crews are doing slow but steady work clearing the mess from Hurricane Helene.
We’re more than halfway through the 90-day period where FEMA will fully reimburse cities for disaster cleanup.
On Tuesday, North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams held a meeting at Victory Baptist Church to discuss debris recovery.
City leaders were letting people know what to expect as the city goes into its next phase of cleanup.
Crews have collected more than 400,000 cubic yards of debris in the county as a whole and other counties are well on pace to get everything done.
Day 54 of crews working through the thick of it to get things cleaned up in Richmond County.
Alice Brook says it’s been a month and a half full of headaches and surprises, trying to navigate through debris and working through a new normal.
“Well, I don’t think the neighborhood will ever be the same except for a potted plant right there,” said Brook. ” I have nothing green left in my yard, no bushes, no trees, nothing.”
Brook says seeing the crews doing their work is the silver lining behind all of this.
“One thing at a time,” she said. “That’s the only way I can take it. We have had a lot of our piles picked up, but we had a lot more trees to come down and have to be cleaned up than I would have ever guessed.”
Contractors say they’re a little more than halfway done in Richmond County with 1.4 million cubic yards of debris collected.
Columbia County isn’t far behind with a little more than 1 million cubic yards collected as well.
Aiken County has 400,000 cubic yards collected.
Meanwhile, Brook says her community continues to have hope in getting everything back in shape for the sake of some normalcy.
“It feels like we’re living in a war zone,” said Brook.
Every county we spoke to says they’re working the best they can to meet FEMA’s 90-day period to get everything cleaned up, but they say at this point it’s looking more like a miracle.
Richmond, Aiken and Columbia counties say the next phase will involve a second pass-through of neighborhoods, but they say the biggest challenges are still the weather, shorter days and utility lines still being too low for heavy machinery to operate.
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AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – The second annual Juneteenth trail ride took place on Old Waynesboro Road in Augusta on Saturday.
The event featured trail rides with horses and ATVs, a mechanical bull contest and music.
People shopped at vendors, and there was entertainment for kids, including a petting zoo, inflatables and games.
“It’s really a privilege just to be able to have the opportunity to share my space, to share my area, and to share for an event with so much value, to give back to my community and a place to celebrate,” said Davon Wallace, chief of operations at Crimson Hills.
Wallace said they will be hosting more events, with a haunted trail coming in October.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) — The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office has made multiple arrests in a deadly shooting that left one teenager dead and another injured early Saturday morning.
According to deputies, the incident happened June 20, at approximately 12:50 a.m. in the 200 block of Warren Road, where authorities responded to reports of shots fired involving two gunshot victims.
When deputies arrived, they located two 18-year-old men from Augusta.
Officials identified the victims as Eric Markquis Bartley Miller and Joseph Lamar Thomas.
Investigators say Miller sustained at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thomas was also found with at least one gunshot wound and was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
The Richmond County Sheriff’s Office says the circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under active investigation.
As of Saturday afternoon, three teenage suspects have been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.
18-year-old Dmihjay Collins, 17-year-old Tayshaun Thomas, and 17-year-old Joseph Thomas have all been arrested and charged with Murder, Aggravated Assault, and Possession of Machine Guns. They are all currently being held at the Webster Detention Center.
A fourth teenager, 17-year-old Reante Byrd was also arrested, but investigators have not linked him to the murder case. Byrd has been charged with Possession of a Pistol or Revolver by a Person Under the Age of 18. He is also being held in the Webster Detention Center.
No further details in the investigation have been released.
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – Students showcased drones they built during a two-week summer camp at Augusta Regional Airport on Friday.
12 junior and high school students attended the camp, where they learned to fly and build drones designed to help others.
Anderson Puryear, a student, said the camp focused on delivering small medical supplies.
“It was focused on delivering small medical supplies like an EPI pen or glucose packet for like diabetics and for people with allergies in need in the real world that could obviously help save lives, and if people are like in a place in a boat or like in the desert or in the forest where they can’t easily access those supplies it can save their lives,” Puryear said.
The airport partnered with Georgia Tech, state troopers and the Aircraft Rescue and Fire Fighting Department for the Air Edu Summer Camp.
Copyright 2026 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
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