Hurricane Helene uprooted thousands of trees and branches as it made its way through the Central Savannah River Area on September 27.
Recovery efforts are still underway in the Augusta area and Aiken County 68 days after the storm.
“There are some pretty high piles of tree debris along the road on Five Notch Road at Georgia Avenue,” said Chip McClard, a North Augusta resident. “When you drive along the road, you have the feeling that you are encountering them.
“Compared to Richmond and Columbia counties, it seems like things are moving a lot slower. There are not as many crews working here as in Richmond and Columbia counties.”
December 3, 2024; North Augusta, South Carolina, USA; Tree debris is located at the intersection of West Martintown Road and Knobcone Avenue. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale – Augusta Chronicle/USA TODAY NETWORK
According to Wednesday’s Aiken County Debris Removal Dashboard:
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Total cubic yards: 46,034
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Total vegetative cubic meters: 46,034
McClard, who settled in North Augusta in 1982, said he had never experienced a hurricane of Helene’s magnitude.
“In 2014 we had a major ice storm,” the 71-year-old said. “There were a lot of tree branches down and power outages. But it wasn’t nearly as extensive as this.
“Usually by the time a hurricane comes inland, they’re quite slow and lose a lot of strength. We get a lot of rain and some wind. But there was nothing like that. Helene was moving so fast that that wasn’t the case.” I have no chance of weakening enough when it gets here.”
Lex Kirkland, Aiken’s assistant city manager, told The Augusta Chronicle in an email that “the debris collected by the City of Aiken will be mulched and transported to Humble Acres in Blackville, SC.”
On whether or not officials have received complaints from the public, he said: “Most of the responses have been positive. The complaints usually concern when the rubble is collected. The city is not predicting an end date for the removal of all tree debris at this time.”
Aiken Mayor Teddy Milner said the city turned to the county for help.
“I feel like the city has done a wonderful job and is learning as much as they are and is still managing to keep up with trash collection,” Milner said. “The assistant city manager has learned from the past ice storm. We immediately contacted the county and hired their contractors, which greatly eased the situation.
“That entailed extra help. We also had a lot of help from volunteers. People came out and helped cut branches off trees for people.”
Milner said residents have reached out for status updates.
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” she said. “I enjoy answering questions. The problem is that during the ice storms only the branches fell off. This time we have these huge trees and stumps that the storm left behind. So the road to recovery will be long.”
This reporting content is supported by a partnership with several funders and Journalism Funding Funding Partners.
Erica Van Buren is a climate change reporter for The Augusta Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. Contact her at EVanBuren@gannett.com or at X: @EricaVanBuren32.
This article originally appeared in the Augusta Chronicle: Tree debris removal remains a problem 68 days after Hurricane Helene
