Many still without power in Ben Hill County following Hurricane Helene
FITZGERALD, Ga. (WALB) - WALB has heard from many residents in Ben Hill County who say they were overlooked during recovery efforts. Many are now on their sixth day without power.
The city of Fitzgerald still has trees down, but many are steadily getting back to normal, residents in the county say they are still waiting for their utilities to be restored.
“When I was inside, I was in a safe haven, but once I came out here, I saw the trees, no electricity, which I knew from the inside. I looked at the pump at the well and it looked like an atomic bomb hit all the pipes,” Joe Edwards, a county resident, said.
On top of having fallen trees in their yard, Joe and Brenda Edwards are going on their seventh day without electricity and running water. Joe Edwards says even during his time living in Miami, he never saw a storm destroy so much.
“We are used to hurricanes and when they come, they come, and when you wake up it’s gone. It never left nothing like this,” Edwards said.
Due to the lack of power, the couple is doing a lot of grilling to cook food or heat water, and this veteran says he used his military training to his advantage.
“It was easy for us to use the hot water or warm water to sponge up every day. We have food, but it’s just not the kind of food that we normally like to enjoy,” Edwards said.
Joyce Jenkins, who went six days without utilities, had her power restored Tuesday night. Jenkins says this is the worst storm aftermath she’s ever seen.
“We’ve had storms and we’ve gotten effects from the storms, but it never directly hit from the storm. God is still good, and he’s been really good to Fitzgerald,” Jenkins said.
Crews and officials are currently working to get supplies out to the community and they encourage residents to stay informed by using the CodeRED app.
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