Thomasville neighbors face power outages and debris cleanup after Hurricane Helene


Over 6,400 homes in Thomasville are still without power following Hurricane Helene’s damage. Crews are actively clearing fallen trees and debris, working to restore normalcy in the community. Watch the video to see how neighbors navigate the aftermath of the storm.

BROADCAST SCRIPT

Behind me, you can see just some of the debris left by Hurricane Helene, including this Circle K sign that fell overnight.

Neighbors are experiencing everything from minor debris to major damage, I’m here to show you what the storm left behind and what’s next for recovery.

Hurricane Helene left its mark across Thomasville. Crews are hard at work clearing fallen trees and restoring power to over 6,400 homes still in the dark.

The recovery process is underway, but it will take time to get everything back to normal.

Royal Baker is one of the residents directly impacted by the storm, as a massive tree fell on his car late last night.

“We were preparing for everything, tied everything down, turned over all the chairs in the yard, tied down all the chairs in the yard, and got rid of the umbrellas and anything that can fly away,” said Baker.

Despite all the precautions, the storm caused serious damage.

“We’ve got a two-car garage and we’ve got three cars, and so one was in the driveway, and the tree just happened to find it,” said Royal.

The tree crushed his car and destroyed three baby car seats inside. Royal says the tree will be difficult to remove since it’s resting on the car, likely needing a crane to lift it.

A little further down the road, Nollan McNamara had a different experience, dealing mostly with smaller debris and a loss of power.

“Closer to 1 a.m. the wind picked up, and that’s when we lost power and the tree down the road fell. Mostly it was just small branches and leaves, so we made it alright,” said McNamara.

Like many in the area, he stayed indoors as the wind and debris rattled his house.

“The wind was making some howling sounds and debris was hitting the house, and you could hear it. I have a metal roof, so it amplifies it a little more too,” said McNamara.

Crews are still working to clear Magnolia Road, which is blocked by a downed tree, with plans to reopen the road soon.

The city expects to have most power restored by Monday, but for those living on the outskirts, it might take a little longer than that.

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