AUGUSTA, Ga. — As Georgia families navigate a new world as they pick up their lives after Helene ripped through the Southeast, claiming lives and causing millions in damage, many people are stepping up to the plate to help those in need.
On Thursday, Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament announced they will be making a joint $5 million donation with the Community Foundation for the Central Savannah River Area (CRSA) to the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund.
“I was in Augusta in the days immediately after the storm and have seen firsthand its devastating impact,” said Fred Ridley, the chairman of the club and tournament. “Our employees, neighbors, friends and business owners need, and deserve, immediate and meaningful assistance to overcome the hardships being experienced at this moment throughout Augusta."
The funds will support local relief efforts following the devastating impact. It would also help give access to essential services through Augusta.
Helene made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane in Florida's Big Bend region. It then ripped through southern Georgia as it weakened to a tropical storm.
Impacts from the hurricane were felt from Valdosta in south Georgia to Augusta in eastern Georgia and South Carolina up to the mountains of western Carolina. On Thursday, Gov. Brian Kemp announced that 33 people were killed in the Peach State due to the impacts of the storm.
Augusta was hit particularly hard and has been one of the epicenters for power loss in the state, Gov. Brian Kemp said Thursday.
Augusta National Gold Club, CRSA and Medical College of Georgia Foundation have also made separate contributions to support other recovery efforts, according to a news release.
Currently, an American Red Cross mobile feeding truck and recovery center is staged at the HUB for Community Innovation on Chaffee Avenue.
Other resources
Federal Emergency Management Agency
FEMA has a list of local resources on its website that has a list of state and local resources for victims of Helene.
Every county in Georgia falls under a designated area of disaster assistance for Hurricane Helene.
- To visit FEMA's website for resource information related to Helene, click here.
- To visit FEMA's website, with a direct link to emergency response resources in Georgia, click here.
Georgia Emergency Management Agency
How to apply for individual and public assistance:
- Online at DisasterAssistance.gov
- Calling 1-800-621-3362
- People who are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY may call 800-462-7585.
Other resources:
- To visit GEMA's website with a list of local emergency management agencies, government office closures and more, click the link here.
- GEMA also said that those impacted should contact the Crisis Cleanup Hotline to assist with storm-related damages.
