North Augusta welcomes Israeli dignitary for Hurricane Helene relief efforts

NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WJBF) – As people in North Augusta are still feeling the impacts of Hurricane Helene, Consul General of Israel Anat Sultan-Dadon took a tour to see some of the damage firsthand.

Sultan-Dadon stopped by North Augusta on Wednesday, as she’s been meeting with leaders from South Carolina and Georgia discuss recovery efforts.

“These past days, seeing the hardship here in the Southeast by those affected by Hurricane Helene, this is our small opportunity to tell all of our friends here on the ground that we stand with you,” she said.

Representative Brent Cox, who represents District 28, said, “Through ballistic missiles firing in from Iran, all that’s happening in Gaza, much going on in the West Bank. Somehow this Consul General and her team have found a way to support and help.”

Leaders traveled by bus through West Avenue, Woodlawn and Hammond Hill, the hardest-hit area, to give a clear view of the damage.

“We have been in touch with the authorities, the elected officials, and decided to come to one of the locations where it matters to be on the ground,” Sultan-Dadon said.

Officials said North Augusta was hit hard by the hurricane. More than 14,000 homes were without power, but significant progress has been made in restoring services.

North Augusta’s mayor, Briton Williams, said there are various issues surrounding the loss of power.

“I think there’s like 45 outage outages, which means some type of event, whether it’s a broken pole, whether it’s wire that’s causing the issue with the last 141 houses,” he said. “So they are working on it and, you know, keep my fingers crossed and pray, but I don’t think it’ll be much longer before we’ll have all power.”

The National Guard has been crucial for recovery in North Augusta. They provided essential support after Hurricane Helene. Their quick response has delivered about 70,000 meals and 90,000 bottles of water.

“A lot of people I know still don’t have power and still don’t have any water because they’re so rural, their own wells,” said Trey Burdette, one man impacted by the storm. “And yeah, I’ve been, I’ve probably donated, I don’t know, 20 gallons of water to friends out of the downtown area.”

The Consul General of Israel also helped distribute baby supplies like diapers and wipes to families in need during her visit.

“We’ve had, so we have so many children and families that you think about a lot of things, but you don’t think about diapers, you don’t think about wipes. And the reality is this is part of the supplies, quite frankly, formally. Those are things that we need,” said Mayor Williams. “And I think the timing is perfect right now. So I’m just blessed that they took the time and effort to bring us these supplies.”

The last distribution wrapped up this afternoon. Any leftover water and meals will be sent to Aiken County and other areas in need.

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