Damaged buildings, thousands of trees lost, and a $6 million cleanup faced Augusta University one year ago.
Hurricane Helene devastated parts of the CSRA as a full-strength hurricane, something the region had never experienced. The one-year anniversary is this Saturday.
There are still areas of destruction and scars marking where trees and buildings once stood, but there are also signs of recovery.
At the Summerville campus of Augusta University (AU), damaged roofs and facades have been repaired, but the decorative ironwork at the main entrance off of Walton Way is still a twisted ball of metal.
“I’ve asked more about the entrance than anything else, because I don’t like seeing it in disrepair,” AU President Dr. Russell Keen told ABD. “But there’s this specialized fabrication with the ornamental iron there, and there’s a limited number of contractors that could do that type of work, which is kind of complicated between the cost of it and the availability,” adding they anticipate repairs to be complete in November.
Another noticeable change at the main entrance is the gap left when the 500-year-old deodar cedar tree, recognized in 2020 as a Georgia Champion Tree by the Georgia Forestry Commission, was broken to the ground. It was just one of the thousands of trees lost across the Summerville, Health Sciences, and Forest Hills campuses.
“It was approximately 4,000 trees on the golf course at Forest Hills, but combining the campuses of Summerville and Health Sciences, we had over 2000 trees,” said Keen, adding the university has had help replacing trees.
“We had some organizations like the Community Foundation (for the CSRA), the Greenbrier Garden Club, and those that have helped us plant new trees. I understand there are a lot more in the works with our facilities and other entities that are wanting to replace some of the tree canopies, but we are quite literally planting trees which our grandchildren and great-grandchildren down the road will enjoy the shade from.”
When Helene struck, the Christenberry Fieldhouse, which was undergoing renovation, had damaged trees and limbs strewn across the property, with roof and exterior damage to the building.
“The contractors were doing their work, so it did receive some water damage, but that was all covered by the contractor, and it’s been completely fixed, and the makeover is complete, and really looking forward to a great season,” Keen said.
While most repairs are complete at the three AU campuses, a park that provides a hands-on educational experience in North Augusta is still closed.
Living History Park is nestled among the pine trees off W. Spring Grove Ave. Images provided by Argus Visuals show the extent of damage with falling trees damaging buildings.
“It’s a city park, but we lease from the city,” explained Judy Dooley with the Olde Towne Preservation Association, which operates the park. “We own the buildings, but the city covers insurance on the buildings, so we’re working with the city with insurance proceeds, and I’ve met FEMA down here and other city officials trying to get FEMA money to help us.”
Most of the debris has been cleared from the grounds, but several buildings still need to be repaired. The largest one is also the structure that has the most impact on the park’s livelihood. Trees tore open the roof on the barn.
“That’s one of our money makers because our events are free,” said Dooley. “We do rentals, but we haven’t been able to since Helene, and we’ve had to refund those that were scheduled from there.
They will be able to stage the Colonial Times event on Oct. 18 and 19, but the park will remain closed after that.
“Once we can get a construction crew in, they’re supposed to have till March 1st to have everything done, but we don’t want to do reservations until we’re assured the facility will be available and up to our standards,” she said. “We really want to come back big, but the park has to be completed in order to do that.”
The Association has held one community cleanup day, so far. Dooley recommends following them on Facebook to keep up with ways the community can help the park recover. https://www.facebook.com/livinghistorypark
Back at AU, Keen reflected on how future generations will think about how the campus weathered the storm and the community’s response.
“Two hundred years from now, (they will say) this tree was planted after Hurricane Helene. It’s just the circle of life, I suppose, but our most important assets on campus are our people,” he said. “The message I would have to the community is thank you, because they’ve really stepped up in a big way, not just to support us during this time after the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, but they supported us in a big way throughout the year.”
There are two anniversary events planned for this Saturday. The City of Augusta is holding a ceremony beginning at 10 a.m. at Heroes’ Overlook on the Augusta Riverwalk 10th Street entrance. It will include a recognition of first responders and remember seven community members who lost their lives.
The other, Hope After Helene, will be a drive-through distribution from 8-11 a.m. at four area schools:
- Cross Creek High School
- Glenn Hills Middle School
- Martinez Elementary School
- Columbia Middle School
It will be followed by a resource fair from 4-7 p.m. at 1760 Gordon Highway. For more information, visit: https://cornerstoneassembly.church/hopeafterhelene2025/
