Skip to main content
Clear icon
50º

Pierce County home severely damaged by trees during Hurricane Helene

Multiple Georgia counties are eligible to apply for FEMA assistance

BLACKSHEAR, Ga. – A home in Blackshear was severely damaged by trees during Hurricane Helene.

RELATED: Lake City family’s home left partially damaged when tree fell through roof

Andrea Mahovetz talked about what she and her parents saw the morning after.

“So, when we came out the next morning, we knew there were quite a few trees down,” Mahovetz said.

Tree damages home in Blackshear, Georgia. (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

She described the night when the storm hit.

“We knew they were on the house because we could feel the house vibrate and at the same time, we were hearing the suction of the wind and it just kept going,” Mahovetz said. “It just felt like it’s going faster and faster, and that’s really when we thought we were going to die.”

Mahovetz showed how badly the trees damaged their home. Trees crushed the roof and branches pierced through the top floor of the home, forcing the family to sleep in the living room for safety.

Tree damages home in Blackshear, Georgia. (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX - All rights reserved.)

To make matters worse, Mahovetz says they’ve been without power and running water since the storm hit.

“We just had lost everything because how do you come back from this? It’s been a struggle,” Mahovetz said. “Every day we’re kind of going out, trying to get water, gas for the generator, and trying to get food. We do have the refrigerator running, but we, um, pretty much lost almost everything except like what we had in a cooler.”

Multiple Southeast Georgia counties are eligible to apply for FEMA assistance including Pierce, Ware, and Charlton counties.

Columbia County in Florida is now eligible.

Click here to apply.

Click here to see the full list of eligible Georgia counties.


About the Author
Brianna Andrews headshot

This native of the Big Apple joined the News4Jax team in July 2021.

Loading...