Valdosta, Lowndes County begins cleanup efforts after the severe impact of Hurricane Helene

LOWNDES COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) – Dozens of homes in Valdosta and Lowndes County have suffered significant damage following Hurricane Helene.

Lowndes EMA officials told WALB that deaths were reported in the county following Hurricane Helene. WALB is working to confirm the number of people killed and other details. This is in addition to the 15 deaths currently recorded across the state.

In Valdosta, dozens of homes are uninhabitable after last night's hurricane. According to Moody Air Force Base, wind gusts exceeded 100 miles per hour, the wind speed combined with wet conditions ripped many trees from the ground. Some of those we spoke to were only narrowly hit by falling trees in their garden.

“I'm kind of freaking out right now,” said Charles Graham, a Valdosta resident. “Well, I was just talking on the phone to someone who was standing in my carport next to my car when I heard a tree fall.”

It was a reality many people had to endure Thursday evening as Hurricane Helene swept through Valdosta. The areas around Jerry Jones Road were among the hardest hit by Tropical Storm Debbie and Hurricane Idalia in recent years.

Homeowner Beverly Henderson narrowly avoided a similar situation. Shortly after she sought refuge in her safe place, a tree fell on her house.

“It wasn't bad until it felt like it was 12 o'clock and we started hearing these really loud noises, like trees falling. And so I went into the closet, the walk-in closet, and that was a good thing because a tree fell over our bed in the house,” Henderson said.

Stories like these can be found all over Jerry Jones Road and in neighborhoods throughout the city. This storm caused some of the worst damage this city has seen in years. Survivors told WALB that the damage was much worse than previous storms.

“I've never experienced anything like that before and I don't want to go through something like that again. I’m sure as is most of Valdosta,” one resident said.

“This is much worse than the last storm that came through here, much worse,” said one resident.

“Last time we lost some trees, but this time the damage was not comparable,” said another resident.

As more parts of the city are cleared this afternoon and into the weekend, emergency responders are asking the public to stay put unless absolutely necessary so that teams can work freely and reach those in need.

WALB will continue to monitor the recovery efforts of Lowndes County and throughout South Georgia.

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