One year after Hurricane Helene, Valdosta still feels the storm’s impact

Still recovering, one year after Hurricane Helene

Friday marked one year since Hurricane Helene tore through Valdosta, and Valdosta residents say the storm?s effects are still easy to see. Katie Watson?s building was declared a total loss and will be demolished in the coming weeks. But she?s managed to move forward.

VALDOSTA, Ga. - Friday marked one year since Hurricane Helene tore through Valdosta, and residents say the storm’s effects are still easy to see.

The backstory:

"It does not feel like it’s only been a year. It feels like it’s been a long time, it’s been a long year," said Katie Watson, owner of Chez What Collective.

Watson’s 130-year-old building, which housed her antique marketplace, was among the hardest hit as the Category 4 storm roared through the city with winds topping 100 mph.

"It’s heartbreaking because I thought that day it just felt over," Watson recalled.

Helene made landfall in Florida before moving directly through Valdosta, the third major storm to strike the area in just over a year.

"I think that’s a moment I can say that I was in days of shock," Watson said.

Hurricane Helene damage in Valdosta

Hurricane Helene ripped through Valdosta Thursday night into Friday.

The destruction left behind was staggering. Trees fell across the city and county, and in unincorporated Lowndes County alone, more than 2 million cubic yards of debris had to be cleared — costing millions.

Hundreds of thousands of residents were left without power for days.

"I was without power for 14 days because the power lines were just snapped in two, or on my street all of the power lines were down," said Meghan Barwick, public information officer for Lowndes County Emergency Management.

Barwick said the experience prompted officials to adjust how they prepare the community for hurricane season.

"That’s one of the things that we tried to change our messaging to within the last year," she said. "While you need to be prepared, you need to be prepared and have things in your emergency kit that will last for more than four days."

What they're saying:

Watson’s building was declared a total loss and will be demolished in the coming weeks. But she’s managed to move forward, reopening in November under a new name, Chez What Collective, with many of the same vendors from the original location.

"I’m looking forward to that and putting it behind us forever," she said. "Chez What is special to a lot of people and I’m so glad it’s still going. It’s been great to us and it feels like home."

Watson credits her customers and neighbors for helping her begin again.

"It really was the support from the community and their customers that helped them begin to move forward," she said.

What's next:

With this year’s hurricane season far from over, residents and emergency officials alike say the lessons from Helene continue to shape how Valdosta prepares for whatever may come next.