Trees fall, roads are closed as Helene lashes CSRA with wind and rain

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – After a day of rain and tornado warnings, the CSRA is feeling the effects of Helene early Friday as the storm moves over Georgia as a Category 1 hurricane.

LATEST NEWS:

• According to the Washington County EMA, numerous emergency responders from all disciplines responded to rescue people trapped in their homes and in house fires. Please stay off the roads, we have also had car accidents with injuries. Several houses have tree damage and power lines are down everywhere. Emergency services said they were overwhelmed and urged the public to stay home and only call 911 in emergencies.
• There were power lines across the street on Riverwatch Parkway in front of the News 12 station and on the other side of Alexander Drive that ran along the railroad tracks.
• The Burke County Sheriff’s Office is advising all individuals to seek shelter immediately and not leave their residences for any reason as weather conditions make travel extremely dangerous.

At 4:45 a.m. the center was over Sandersville, but Augusta was lashed by heavy rain and winds that pushed precipitation to the side in horizontal layers.

Thousands of customers were without power in the CSRA, with more than 300,000 experiencing outages across Georgia. Transformers could be seen on the horizon, flickering as the wind swept across the area.

At 4:45 a.m., a flash flood warning was issued for Augusta, joining much of the rest of the CSRA in the warning area. According to the National Weather Service, large areas are at high risk.

There are widespread reports of falling trees throughout the region, particularly in Edgefield and Aiken counties, as gusts of up to 55 mph hit the CSRA.

Gusts could reach speeds of over 70 miles per hour later this morning in Augusta, according to News 12 First Alert meteorologists.

The center of the storm is on track to turn west and make direct impact on Atlanta later this morning. It is expected to weaken further and hit Atlanta as a tropical storm.

Across the Augusta River, where the Savannah River has already risen 15 feet after a day of rain Thursday, another 2 to 4 inches of rain is expected to fall.

However, the storm has since weakened It came ashore in northwest Florida as a Category 4 hurricaneIn the CSRA, the impacts are severe because the wind field is hundreds of kilometers wide.

That’s why we’re feeling it so hard in the CSRA as they pummel Georgia after at least three people have been killed so far.

CSRA officials said the next few hours would be the most critical. They recommend avoiding travel, staying indoors and bringing pets and loose items with you.

The threat of tornadoes will remain overnight and into the morning across northern and central Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and southern North Carolina, forecasters say.

By 9 or 10 a.m. the worst of the CSRA will be over, News 12 First Alert meteorologists say.

Power outages from around 6 a.m. included:

Georgia

• Burke County: Up to 4,996 customers.
• Columbia County: Up to 61,949 customers.
• Emanuel County: Up to 4,914 customers.
• Jefferson County: Up to 4,179 customers.
• Jenkins County: Up to 1,463 customers.
• Lincoln County: Up to 1,562 customers.
• McDuffie County: Up to 5,831 customers.
• Richmond County: Up to 76,464 customers.
• Screven County: Up to 71 customers.
• Taliaferro County: Up to 516 customers.
• Washington County: Up to 1,388 customers.
• Warren County: Up to 25 customers.
• Wilkes County: Up to 382 customers.

South Carolina

• Aiken County: Up to 56,571 customers.
• Allendale County: Up to 3,283 customers.
• Barnwell County: Up to 3,486 customers.
• Bamberg district: Up to 2,140 customers.
• Edgefield County: Up to 7,565 customers.
• McCormick County: Up to 1,456 customers.
• Orangeburg County: Up to 6,375 customers.
• Saluda County: Up to 5,821 customers.

Falling trees:

Aiken County:

• I-20E: at MM 2 – left lane closed as of 5:47 a.m

Burke County:

• Brown Mobley Rd
• Farmers Bridge Road near Perkins Mill Road
• Seven Oaks Road near Cates Mead Road
• Botsford Church Road
• Highway 80 east near River Road

Richmond County:

• Keysville Road at Murphy Road

Warren County:

• Highway 25 near Brier Creek.

Columbia County Road Closures Due to Flooding:

• the pass at Saddletree Lane
• Saddletree Lane at Butterfield Court
• Reynolds Farm Rd
• Mill Branch Rd

Road closures in Richmond County due to flooding:

• Caldwell Drive
• Ramstage near Canterbury Drive
• Chester Avenue around tennis courts
• Ravenel Road at Walton Way
• West Lake Forest, section around West Lake Park
• Camilia Rd
• Plantation Road at US 25
• Rae’s Creek
• Hopie Road at Farris Road

The SRS operations center confirmed at 6 a.m. that all barricades (gates) were closed.

Due to rising water levels, please avoid the area near Rae’s Creek, particularly around Berkman’s Road. Flooding is possible and the area may become dangerous.

The City of Grovetown issued the following statement: “Please review these NWS projections which provide the latest forecast data for our area. Please check with your local media for any weather and/or emergency updates. As a reminder, Liberty Park is currently open as an emergency shelter. Our public safety officers are also available. Just call 706-863-1212 if you need assistance. However, if you find yourself in an emergency, please call 911.”

The Orangeburg County Emergency Operations Center said shelter is available at the Orangeburg City Gym at 410 Broughton Street. This will open on Thursday at 9 p.m.

Even before landfall, the force of the storm was widely felt as a storm system moved through the CSRA, bringing a day of rain.

Several areas of the CSRA experienced power outages and tornado and flood warnings Thursday.

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In the Augusta area William Few Parkway at Windmill Plantation and Jones Creek near Furys Ferry were heavily flooded Thursday evening. An exit ramp to Interstate 20 was also flooded in North Augusta at mile marker 1.

On Woodland Road, a tree-lined residential street in Augusta, a tree snapped Thursday morning, falling onto the road and destroying a power line. The emergency services were quickly on site.

That wasn’t the only area experiencing a power outage on Thursday – as rain began to pour heavily, hundreds of people on both sides of the Savannah River were without power at any given time.

By early evening, that number had dropped to a handful – although that is likely to change overnight.

Flooding wasn’t the worst threat Thursday.

There were a series of tornado warnings from morning through afternoon stretching from the west side of the CSRA to the east.

Initially there was a tornado warning for Columbia, Edgefield, McCormick and Lincoln counties. The Columbia County School District herded students into hallways to protect them in case a tornado touched down.

That didn’t happen in Columbia County because the warning was triggered by a radar signature that indicated a tornado, and there are no signs that one actually came down.

SAFE ACCOMMODATION:

• If you live in Columbia County and don’t feel safe in your home or need to go anywhere, the Patriots Park gym will remain open overnight.
• The Liberty Park Community Center/Gymnasium will open Thursday evenings at 8:00 p.m. for those needing overnight accommodations. It will stay open all night and until tomorrow if necessary. Staff is available on site to assist you with food and drinks.

Still, the school district moved all students out of portable buildings for the day.

At 10:30 a.m. a tornado warning followed in the Bamberg district – location of one destructive EF-2 tornado on January 9th. The 10:30 a.m. warning expired at 11 a.m. after radar reported a tornado.

At 1 p.m., Bamberg County was again on alert after radar detected a possible tornado over Lodge, moving north toward Ehrhardt at 25 miles per hour.

The tornado was seen by witnesses and radars showed debris being thrown into the air.

But the warning passed without any damage being reported.

A tornado warning was issued in Allendale, Washington, Screven, Johnson, Aiken and Barnwell counties around 10:45 p.m

According to meteorologists, more tornadoes are possible through Friday morning.

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Schools were closed or closed across the CSRA on Thursday and most will remain closed on Friday as high winds pose a hazard to large vehicles such as school buses.

Even the stalwart Columbia County School District is keeping students home Friday.

Even though Jefferson County schools will be closed Friday, kids won’t be able to stay out late at night – or even head out Friday morning.

The sheriff announced a curfew from Thursday 9 p.m. to Friday noon.

“During this curfew, any person is prohibited from traveling, loitering, walking or strolling in or on public streets, highways, paths, paths, parks or other public facilities, public squares, public buildings, places of entertainment and dining places, vacant lots or any other location within Jefferson County,” according to a statement from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.

What you can expect from Helene

• The National Weather Service and local emergency management officials say Helene’s winds could damage roofing and siding materials, porches, awnings, carports and sheds, as well as window, door and garage door failures.
• RVs could be damaged, especially if they are not anchored.
• Unsecured light objects can become dangerous projectiles
• We can expect large trees to break or be uprooted, with a greater number of places where the toots are flat.
• Fences and street signs could fall, and some roads could become impassable due to large debris – especially in urban and heavily forested areas.
• Some bridges may become impassable.
• Isolated power and communications outages are possible, particularly in areas where lines are not buried.
• Rivers and tributaries could quickly overflow their banks, while small streams could become dangerous.

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