Gov. Kemp tours damage as Southeast Georgia communities rally, try to recover from Hurricane Helene

Communities across Southeast Georgia continue to recover Monday from the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene.

Gov. Brian Kemp was in Richmond County on Monday to tour the damage in one of the hardest hit areas.

Schools remain closed Monday in all six Georgia counties in our coverage area and will remain closed until further notice in Brantley and Pierce counties.

Boil water advisories are also in effect for certain communities in Camden and Glynn counties: See the full list.

For those still without power, Glynn County is offering cooling and charging stations at the following locations:

• Ballard Gymnasium at 30 Nimitz Drive in the days ahead from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. to serve as a cooling facility and provide phone charging services.
• City of Brunswick is also opening a cooling and recharging station to the public at Howard Coffin Park, 1402 Sonny Miller Way. It will be open 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Utilities continue working to restore electricity for the county and the Brunswick area. As of 11:45 a.m., 10,325 customers with utility out.

Georgia Power estimates having 95% of services restored in the Brunswick area by 10 p.m. Monday

Community Announcements:

• Glynn County Recreation & Parks is postponing all youth football and soccer matches until Glynn County Schools resume.
• Brunswick’s City Tax Sale is canceled on Tuesday.
• Tuesday’s National Night Out is canceled
• DNR’s CoastFest for this coming weekend is canceled

United Way: United Way of Coastal Georgia is offering assistance for people seeking services related to hurricane recovery. Call 912-265-1850; press 1 and you will be able to leave a message, they will direct you to the appropriate resource.

Glynn County is currently working with GEMA and FEMA on available supplies and individual assistance as needed.

The city of Waycross in Ware County will be distributing bottled water and tarps, starting at 12 p.m. Monday at the City Auditorium at 865 Pendleton St. Please note that this will be a first-come, first-served event.

A lot of debris remains on the road and power is out at some of the city’s intersections.

“It’s a lot worse than what people thought it was going to be,” Waycross resident Amy Poole said. “There’s trees down everywhere, there’s downed power lines in residential neighborhoods, people that are still in the house. There’s just nobody coming to clean up. We haven’t seen any clean-up crews.”

One of the hardest-hit neighborhoods in the area is Albany Avenue, where downed trees and power lines are causing widespread power outages.

“We’ve got very low-hanging power lines. People have been coming through trying to get necessities. I’m just afraid they’re going to snag something and rip down whatever power lines are left,” Waycross resident Callyann Brewington said. “Somebody is going to get seriously hurt.”

News4JAX reached out to Waycross Emergency Management but had to leave the area for the call to go through. We are waiting for a response on the recovery efforts.

In the meantime, those who can travel are stocking up on supplies at the Friendly Express gas station -- the only option for food within a 30-mile radius for Homerville resident Antoine Watson.

“I came from Homerville to bring my wife to work and then I’d come to get some gas and fresh food and stuff. Homerville is really devastated,” Watson said.

Ware County commissioners are encouraging any local or out-of-state vendors to come set up at Bit Tanner Field. No permits or fees are required.

Also, the Tax Commissioners Office in Ware County is closed on Monday and Tuesday. The Tax Sale scheduled for Tuesday is canceled. It will be rescheduled at a later date.

The County administrative offices are closed through Tuesday.

The Ware County Public Library is closed until further notice, along with all South Georgia State College campuses and all Southeast Health District sites.

Camden County issued several safety alerts this weekend, including asking residents to limit their water usage because of widespread power outages. That includes reducing the use of dishwashers, washing machines, and showers, and avoiding unnecessary flushing of toilets. Delay any non-essential water activities until normal operations resume. Businesses should also scale back water usage wherever feasible, especially in industries that use large amounts of water.

Charlton County said schools will remain closed on Monday to help with power and communication restoration efforts.

But the Charlton County Public Library will be open Monday.

Brantley County said schools will have to remain closed until power can be restored to all their facilities.

In Pierce County, schools remain closed but the Red Cross Shelter is open 24/7 at 705 College Ave. in Blackshear.