Contributed photo
Troy Utilities linemen work to fix downed power lines in areas without power due to the hurricane.
Making landfall as a category four storm, Hurricane Helene terrorized communities as it left a path of destruction from Florida to Virginia.
The disaster claimed the lives of over 200 people across six states - including Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. After strong winds, heavy rain and intense flooding, hundreds of thousands of people remain without power.
“People are devastated,” said Brian Chandler, general manager of Troy City Utilities. “They have not had electricity for days, they have damage to their homes and they can’t go to work.”
Now, the Troy community is coming together to offer support to those affected. Last week, eight power line workers from Troy Utilities traveled to Greenwood, South Carolina to assist with restoration in any way they can.
Troy Utilities photo
Troy linemen work amid downed trees and power lines to restore power.
“Our guys are always willing to go lend a hand,” Chandler said. “That’s what they’re doing day in and day out for 16 plus hours a day.
“They’re rebuilding power lines, starting with the ones that serve the most people or critical facilities first then working out into smaller areas”
Their response was an act of mutual aid – when one utility provides aid to another.
Chandler said it’s important to make an effort to help those in need because you never know when you may be in the same situation.
“You’re helping people who are in desperate need,” Chandler said. “You’re helping them to get electricity so they can have refrigeration, air conditioning, power, lights and internet.
“One day it might be us that’s calling for help.”
One Troy local is also trying to make a difference.
“I’m out here to try and gather data for scientific research, but I also want to help those affected however I can in the immediate aftermath while I’m here,” said Josh Evans, a local storm chaser for SparkService Weather.
Evans and his team helped with coverage and aid during landfall in Monticello, Florida. Seeing the destruction firsthand inspired Evans to try and set up local donation drives of his own.
“These people haven’t just lost their homes or neighborhoods, they’ve lost their entire towns,” Evans said. “Lots of people will be forced to relocate to be able to live comfortably.
“They can’t all do it themselves.”
He now calls on the community to assist with local donation drives benefiting victims in Tennessee and the Carolinas. He also hopes to get in contact with schools in Florida to set up food drives there.
“Our goal is to try and get as much food and water sent to the affected areas as possible, as well as to raise as much money as we can,” Evans said.
Other organizations have started food drives to raise donations for those affected.
Brundidge Methodist Church asked Troy locals to donate water, hoping for enough to fill a truckload going toward victims in South Georgia.
Zion Chapel School held a disaster relief drive, calling for paper products, nonperishable food items, water, batteries and flashlights. Those items would be delivered to Soperton, Georgia.
After the devastation caused by Helene, communities who were affected are beginning to move forward, step by step. With support from others, these areas can return to a sense of normalcy just a little quicker.
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