Georgia
Lt. Governor of Georgia visits counties impacted by Helene
TOOMBS COUNTY, Ga. (WTOC) – Georgia’s Lt. Governor Burt Jones visited some of Helene’s hardest hit areas Thursday, including Montgomery and Toombs Counties.
One of Lt. Governor Jones’ stops included the Vidalia-Toombs EMA building where city and county leaders, including first responders, gave their “day seven” updates following Helene’s impact last week.
The Lt. Governor says he wanted to see how his office can help, as well as bring awareness to storm victims’ needs.
“We want to have every ability, it doesn’t matter if it’s like I said a local city system, county system, power companies, hospitals, whatever it might be, individual citizens or businesses, we want everybody to know that we are here to take your calls and provide whatever services that we need to do to accomplish our end goals,” said Lt. Governor Jones.
Lt. Governor Jones says he wants people to know his office has an open line of communication for those in need.
After power in the area is restored and all the necessary repairs are made, the Lt. Governor’s office will then determine how many state dollars will be allocated to the rebuilding process.
Montgomery County also suffered devastating damages after Helene made landfall a week ago.
To show their support, Lt. Governor Jones, alongside State Senator Blake Tillery, visited Montgomery County High School Thursday where volunteers have been passing out supplies to those in need.
Downed power lines, destroyed homes and trees ripped from the ground are just some of the reminders that Helene left for people in Montgomery County.
The storm damage prompting state officials to respond.
“Here in Montgomery County, it’s a lot like the other counties we’ve seen,” said Lt. Governor Jones. “It’s significant, the damage is significant, and it’s going to take resources.”
Resources that will help repair some of what was lost in the storm.
In the meantime, locals are doing what they can to support their own. Volunteers have been stationed at Montgomery County High School for nearly a week passing out food, water and other supplies to people in dire need.
The county’s school superintendent says they’re trying to help in every little way they can.
“We are eagles, so we were built to soar above the storm. Keep your head high. We’re not going to clean this up in a day,” said Rhonda Hightower. “When we get back to school, it’s going to be a slow start getting folks back to school. But we are going to get people back as quick as we can.”
These efforts are only the beginning of Montgomery’s long road to recovery, and people are hoping more help is on the way.
“This is something we’ve never been through in our lives. Just keep us in y’all’s prayers, please,” Judy Quarterman, volunteer and Montgomery County resident.
Copyright 2024 WTOC. All rights reserved.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Storm activity is expected to fire up around midday, starting inland from the Gulf sea breeze. From there, storms will track eastward at 20-25 mph, and that faster movement is actually good news for flooding concerns.
Some minor, temporary flooding is possible through tonight, especially in low-lying areas and spots that typically flood during heavy rain events.
The best chances for stronger storms and heavier rainfall will be north and near I-10 during the afternoon and evening hours.
The Weather Prediction Center has placed roughly the northern two-thirds of the area under a marginal risk of excessive rainfall.
What to expect through the night
Rain chances will stay elevated into the evening but should taper off after midnight. However, inland Northeast Florida could see a late round of showers or storms develop due to enhanced west coast sea breeze.
Gusty winds and frequent lightning can’t be ruled out. Always have your indoor plan ready to go for shelter access.
Cooler temperatures, patchy fog round out the forecast
High temperatures will run below average, topping out in the mid-to-upper 80s. Overnight lows will range from the upper 60s to near 70 degrees across inland Southeast Georgia, with mid-70s expected closer to the Atlantic coast.
Patchy fog is expected early this morning and again Sunday morning. Brief periods of dense fog are possible, so drivers should use caution on the roads during those early morning hours.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.
Georgia baseball will resume its NCAA Athens Regional game with Long Island at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 29, after persistent rain—heavy at times—forced the suspension of the game.
The Bulldogs have a commanding 15-1 lead with nobody out in the bottom of the sixth.
The teams and some fans waited out a delay that started 7:14 p.m.
The game was suspended officially at 9:06 p.m. Long Island players were already grabbing their equipment in the dugout to depart for the team hotel before then.
The winner of Georgia-LIU will play No. 3 seed Liberty Saturday in the double-elimination tournament in a game scheduled for 5 p.m.
The loser will play No. 2 seed Boston College at noon.
The No. 3 national seed Bulldogs hit six homers before the game was delayed due to heavy rain.
There was a 53 percent chance of rain at 9 a.m. Saturday, according to weather.com, decreasing to 17 percent at 11 a.m., but there’s a threat of storms in the afternoon.
The Georgia Public Service Commission this week approved a plan expected to reduce utility bills for Georgia Power customers by a few dollars a month.
The commission said the change will generate about $285 million in total annual savings for Georgia Power customers, or roughly $50 per year — about $4.04 per month — for the average residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours a month.
The Georgia PSC voted Thursday to lower overall rates as part of the approved plan.
Georgia Power Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer Tyler Cook said the decision will provide “real savings for Georgia families and businesses as the heat of summer begins and energy use increases.”
“At Georgia Power, our teams work every day to run our business efficiently and keep reliable and affordable energy flowing to our customers,” Cook said.
Cook said the outcome followed months of work between Georgia Power and PSC staff, including reviews, public hearings and input from residents and intervenors.
The approved plan is tied to a stipulated agreement reached earlier this month involving two cases filed with the PSC in February, the Fuel Cost Recovery case and the Storm Cost Recovery case. Those cases addressed recovering fuel costs used to generate electricity and expenses tied to restoring power after storms.
Georgia Power said its rates remain, on average, about 15% below the national average and that it is still on track to provide additional annual savings of about $102 per year for typical residential customers beginning in 2029.
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