Macon Water Authority ready to respond to Hurricane Helene

Heavy rainfall and wind gusts Thursday night into Friday morning increases the likelihood that sanitary, sewer and stormwater systems are damaged across Macon.

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – The Macon Water Authority is doing all it can to help residents prepare for Hurricane Helene.

President and executive director Ron Shipman says his staff is on standby and ready to respond to service interruptions. Shipman advises residents to stay home, and if you have to go out, avoid standing water as much as possible.

“Don’t ride through it,” he said. “Don’t walk through it, those kinds of things, because you never know what you don’t see in that water. There could be something that will trip you up. There could be something that you can’t see. It could be deeper than you think, so just to be mindful as to where you are.”

Heavy rainfall and wind gusts Thursday night into Friday morning increases the likelihood that sanitary, sewer and stormwater systems are damaged across Macon. Rachad Hollis, Macon Water Authority Communications Specialist, says this is something the company works year-round to respond to.

“We take our systems and we look at them closely over time,” Hollis said. “And we want to make sure that everything is working for our customers.”

Hollis wants residents to be mindful that damage to these systems can lead to the contamination of drinking water. He says this risk, as well as the possibility of being without power for extended time, is a reason to load up on bottled water and take other precautions.

“You want to make sure you have candles, you want to make sure you have flashlights,” Hollis said. “You want to have all the things that might get you through the night or the next couple of days.”

As the conditions of Hurricane Helene intensify, the Macon Water Authority wants its customers and all Macon-Bibb County residents to take the threat it poses seriously.

“Let’s let this storm system pass and then you can go out and do what you need to do,” Shipman said.