It’s now Day 3 since Hurricane Helene blasted through Augusta with many still suffering from its impact. Local leaders held another press conference Sunday to discuss some of those issues.
One of the newest developments is a water outage the City of Augusta reported Sunday morning. Mayor Garnett Johnson explained that, while pumps are still online, they are experiencing a lot more trash and debris due to the higher water levels at the Savannah River and Augusta Canal, which requires more frequent filter cleaning.
In order to remedy this, Augusta started distributing water bottles at the city’s municipal building on Telfair Street. GEMA is bringing in hot meals as well as water trucks and will be setting up distribution sites soon. Residents can tentatively expect water to be restored by Monday or Tuesday.
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Power also continues to be out for many residents with Georgia Power reporting most residents should expect to be without electricity until Friday. Augusta Fire/EMA Chief Antonio Burden said as of Sunday morning, more than 1,000 linemen are in the area working to restore power and that number is expected to rise to more than 5,000 linemen by Monday.
Burden reassured the community that the fire department is fully staffed and they are adding more units on the EMS side, reassuring residents of their response capabilities.
Shelters are still operational at the Henry Brigham and May Park community centers. While they are powered and offer air conditioning, residents will no longer be able to charge their devices there as the generators are running at capacity.
While some are worried about supplies running out, the mayor reassured residents that there is plenty of food and gas available, it’s just a matter of restoring power to the local stores and gas stations.
”We’re going to ask that you just be patient. These things don’t happen overnight,” Johnson said. “We will get through this.”
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Augusta leaders talk water outage, power, resources on Sunday
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