Extent of Damages
Margaret, 80, one of the unknown amounts of homeowner's victim of hurricane Helene in Richmond County. She is grateful for being alive. The tree hit the other side where she was sleeping.
It will take some time to determine the cost and the extent of the damages. No official report of death has been announced a week after the impact of Helene in Augusta.
These rapidly intensifying, back-to-back storms are not random weather events. Exxon knew in the 1970s – 50 years ago – that burning coal, oil, and gas would cause catastrophic consequences like the ones we're living through right now.
Just days after Hurricane Helene devastated communities from the Gulf to the Appalachian Mountains, Hurricane Milton hit Florida's heavily-populated Gulf coast. Millions of people are without power. The Gulf Coast barrier islands are flooded. Tornadoes generated by the hurricane destroyed dozens of homes and killed several people. The devastation is hard to comprehend.
Warmer ocean temperatures fuel stronger hurricanes. The science is clear that climate change is causing storms like these to be more destructive, more frequent, and more deadly. And we need to be prepared. We need to save as many lives as possible and help families, many who have lost everything, recover and rebuild.
Congress to return until November 12, leaving families in hard-hit areas across North and South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, Georgia, and Virginia without adequate resources.
Recalls in Desperate Time - Taking Precaution with Products Offered for Free
BrucePac, in conjunction with USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), announced that it is recalling approximately nearly 10,000,000 pounds of ready-to-eat meat and poultry products. The recall was initiated on Oct. 9 after FSIS routine testing found that ready-to-eat poultry products produced by BrucePac tested positive for Listeria monocytogenes. Further tests confirmed that the poultry products were the sources of the listeria, however, other ready-to-eat meat products made in the same Durant, Okla. facility are also subject to recall.
West Nile Virus
Cases of West Nile virus are growing across the state – including in Augusta. Richmond County is the site of one of the six cases of the mosquito-carried illness this season in Georgia.The virus is transmitted among birds via the bite of infected mosquitoes and incidentally humans and other mammals may become infected.More than one hundred species of birds have been found to carry West Nile virus, which sometimes kills the bird but often just makes the animal temporarily sick.Georgia Power Announced Disconnections Paused
Posted on the utility’s company website:
As the devastation from Hurricane Helene became apparent in the days following the historic storm, Georgia Power moved quickly to suspend disconnections as emergency response efforts ramped up. The company announced today that it has further extended and expanded customer assistance programs with disconnections suspended, late fees waived, and overall collection activities paused for residential and business customers through at least December 15, 2024.
“Our commitment to customers goes beyond reconnecting power following a storm of this magnitude – we’re focused on helping many of our neighbors as they essentially rebuild their lives and communities,” said Latanza Adjei, senior vice president of Customer Experience for Georgia Power. “We encourage customers to continue paying their bills on their usual billing cycle and avoid falling behind. However, we recognize that times are challenging for many Georgians even without the impacts of Helene and we want to do all we can to support them. Every Customer Experience team member is dedicated to working with customers who may need assistance to help find a solution that works best for them.”
Georgia Power’s response to the most destructive hurricane in its history involved more than 20,000 personnel, including Georgia Power’s full workforce as well as crews from dozens of other companies around the country. As of October 7, the company has safely restored power to more than 1.5 million customers, or 99% of all impacted customers, following the storm. Hurricane Helene spared virtually no part of the state and severely impacted areas such as Augusta, Savannah, Valdosta and many other communities.
The Southern Company system, including Georgia Power, also continues to coordinate and contribute to restoration and relief efforts following Hurricane Helene. On October 4, multiple charitable foundations across the system pledged $3 million to support the recovery effort.