About 270,000 customers in Georgia still were without electricity Thursday, six days after Hurricane Helene cut a destructive swath across the southeastern part of the state, down from 1.3 million at the storm’s peak.
The death toll in Georgia now is up to at least 33, many from trees falling on their homes, Gov. Brian Kemp said during a briefing Thursday at the state Capitol after touring damaged areas during the previous two days with First Lady Marty Kemp.
“We’ve been on the ground from Valdosta up through Augusta,” Kemp said. “The width of the destruction even compared to Hurricane Michael (in 2018) is so much more.”
Kemp said he spoke to President Joe Biden by telephone Thursday morning to thank him for increasing the federal disaster declaration that originally covered 11 Georgia counties to 41. The governor said he is seeking approval to more than double the number of counties eligible for federal aid.
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“There are still a lot of counties out there expressing frustration that they haven’t been added to the list,” Kemp said.
The Biden administration has agreed to cover 100% of the cleanup costs for the first three months, Kemp said.
Chris Stallings, director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency, said preliminary figures from 50 counties have put the damage estimate at $417 million, a number that is expected to increase significantly in the coming days.
Kemp said nearly 2,000 Georgia National Guard troops are on duty in the hardest-hit areas, clearing roads and transporting critical supplies including food, water, and generators.
Kemp said he heard many stories of dramatic rescues from Georgians directly affected by Helene.
“In every community we went to, everyday heroes stepped up,” he said. “It reminds me what a resilient state we live in and what good people we have.”
Kemp said Georgia crops suffered extensive damage from the storm. He said cotton crops and pecan orchards in the path of Helene were virtually wiped out.
“The ag economy was not good before the storm, and it’s worse now,” he said.
Georgia Commissioner of Transportation Russell McMurry said more than 300 state routes were blocked at the storm’s height, including three interstate highways. That’s now down to just a handful, he said.
However, McMurry cautioned motorists to drive defensively because many of the roads that have been reopened are down to a single lane, while about 250 traffic signals are still out of service. He urged drivers to treat intersections without functioning signals as four-way stops.
“We don’t need anyone else to be hurt or injured,” he said.
Kemp also warned Georgians using generators to make sure their homes are sufficiently ventilated. He said three people in Chatham County who were using a generator died from carbon monoxide poisoning.
Stallings urged residents affected by Helene to be patient with recovery efforts.
“The only thing that happens quickly is the storm itself,” he said.
“A lot of people are frustrated,” Kemp added. “(But) this is unprecedented, a significantly larger power outage storm than we’ve ever dealt with.”
