Hurricane Helene recovery efforts continue in Telfair County

According to the EMA, roughly 40% of Telfair County residents were still without power Monday.

MCRAE, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Telfair County was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Helene in Middle Georgia. Elected officials and volunteers across the community are working to help those still without power.

“When I say there wasn’t a street or a road in Telfair County that didn’t have a tree or damage on it, that was the case,” Telfair County Emergency Management Agency Director Lee Conner said.

Conner says there’s still work to be done, but the county has come a long way. While debris is still down in many areas, Conner says all county roads are now drivable. The EMA continues to distribute food and water to those still without power.

“That’s the first thing, getting these people back to a normal everyday life,” Conner said. “And then during that process without power, we’re still providing meals, some ready to eats or some water. Things like that that people just can’t get their hands on.”

Conner says the Georgia Air National Guard has been of great benefit to these efforts.

“They’ve done great,” Conner said. “They were a much-needed asset. Really just a lot of muscle and able to help us get stuff moved around and get us straightened out.”

According to the EMA, roughly 40% of Telfair County residents were still without power Monday. Volunteers like Rachel Pope say they will continue their work for as long as it’s needed.

Pope was helping clean up trees when she was asked to be the point of contact at a resource distribution site. After seeing and hearing about Helene’s destruction across Telfair County, Pope says saying no wasn’t an option.

“Some of these people have been here every single day,” Pope said. “They have stepped up, they’ve kept it organized, and they’ve made suggestions. And we’ve just worked as one big cohesive unit to fill the need in our county.”

While the county consolidates and scales back distribution sites for a return to a more normal routine, Pope says she and the other volunteers at First Baptist Church of McRae will work until everyone in the county has their power restored.

Conner says federal and state assistance, local officials and volunteers have helped Telfair County get on track for a full recovery in the near future.

“We’ve really come together and worked hard,” Conner said. “And it took us all to get to where we are now.”