Washington County officials, residents work to repair damage after Hurricane Helene

Most people throughout the county have had their power restored and the majority of roads have been cleared.

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Washington County Sheriff Joel Cochran believes that not being able to assist residents during the brunt of Hurricane Helene made helping during the aftermath all the more important.

Phone and radio systems lost connection as the storm intensified early Friday morning, leaving the sheriff’s office without the ability to respond to emergency calls and communicate with other county agencies. On Monday, Cochran and his team brought a grill over to Sunset Shop in Sandersville to help serve hot dogs and drinks to people in need.

“It’s just the little things like this,” Cochran said. “Giving people some water, giving them something to drink. People have been here literally in tears because they hadn’t had a meal.”

Hurricane Helene’s impact on Washington County is still clear. Schools remain closed through Wednesday, trees are down in roads and yards and many are without power. Washington County Emergency Management Agency Director Russell Riner asks for the patience of residents, particularly in the eastern part of the county that was most impacted, as his team does all it can to clean up what the storm left behind.

“We ask that the residents please stay in as much as they can,” Riner said.  “There are a lot of hazards out there with roads that have been undermined. There’s trees hanging over the roads. We’re working as hard as we can to get all that taken care of.”

Riner says most people in the county have had their power restored and the majority of roads have been cleared. As Washington and neighboring county agencies work to clean up what remains of the damage, Sheriff Cochran says residents helping each other out is also boosting recovery efforts.

“People in Washington County have come together,” Cochran said. “There’s been so many volunteers, just people out helping one another. Our first responders have been phenomenal.” 

Cochran says if more people in the community act like those who volunteered their time and supplies to make the cookout happen in the coming days, Washington County will be back up on its feet in no time.

“Continue to try and help out your neighbors,” Cochran said. “We’ll do this as one. We’re going to come through it, and we’ll be stronger than we were before we started.”