Helene inflicted damage on Georgia over two weeks past. The household remains devoid of electricity.
In the south Georgia region, Stevenson, like numerous others, is still grappling without electricity post-Helene. As of Tuesday morning, over 2,000 inhabitants in Jeff Davis County, where Stevenson resides in Hazlehurst, have reported power outages, as per PowerOutages.com. Neighboring counties, such as Coffee County, are also dealing with power cuts, with about 2,000 customers experiencing interruptions.
Stevenson shared with CNN her surprise and unpreparedness for the impending storm. "We didn't get any sort of evacuation alerts or shelter in place orders," she said.
In her vicinity, located about 100 miles west of Savannah, the streets are a mess of debris caused by downed trees, fallen power lines, and other wreckage. Stevenson revealed that they discovered they were right in the storm's path only at the last moment. She had endured a five-day power outage during Hurricane Irma in 2017, which she described as more than enough.
Resident Leslie Breedlove, who resides in Hazlehurst, the county seat, is managing with food donations and relying on her neighbors for showering and laundry facilities.
Speaking with CNN on Monday, Stevenson expressed gratitude for the generosity of her neighbors, saying, "The kindness of others has been our saving grace. Just when I start to question where I'll manage my laundry, someone reaches out to me with a solution."
The generator that Stevenson uses to power parts of her home is setting her back quite a bit financially. "I managed to connect a refrigerator to it, but it costs nearly $20 per day just for the generator," she said.
Stevenson questioned the lack of preparedness, stating, "Somebody should have done something – the county or city – there should have been a contingency plan in place."
CNN reached out to officials in Hazlehurst and Jeff Davis County for their response, but had yet to receive a reply as of publishing.
Satilla REMC, Stevenson's power company, announced on social media that their teams were working tirelessly to restore service to their customers. "Our crews will continue to work 16–18-hour days ... until the restoration efforts are complete," the post read.
CNN contacted Satilla REMC for more information but has yet to receive a reply.
Breedlove praised the linemen's diligence but expressed concern that power restoration could take a significant amount of time, possibly even extending into November. "We may be small but we're strong as a community, and we help one another," she said.
Stevenson shared with CNN that FEMA officials would be conducting an inspection on her property on Tuesday and hoped they could suggest some solutions.
"We desperately need help in our area," Stevenson said, acknowledging that other regions are also facing hardships and expressing hope that they too receive much-needed assistance.
After enduring a five-day power outage during Hurricane Irma in 2017, Stevenson is currently facing financial strain due to using a generator to power parts of her home, which costs nearly $20 per day.
Working tirelessly to restore service, Satilla REMC, Stevenson's power company, has announced that their crews will continue to work 16–18-hour days until the restoration efforts are complete.
