Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Disaster Response topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Columbia County manager details Hurricane Helen response; FEMA reimbursements top $70 million
Summary
County Manager Scott Johnson says Columbia County's emergency operations, pre-positioned contracts and partnerships accelerated cleanup after Hurricane Helen; the county has received more than $70 million in reimbursements with a recent $14 million deposit and expects a remaining $9'$12 million.
County Manager Scott Johnson said Columbia County's advance planning and rapid response after Hurricane Helen kept recovery moving and has produced substantial federal and state reimbursements.
"We stood up our emergency operations center, pre-positioned debris contracts and coordinated with Georgia Power and other utilities," Johnson said, describing work that began before the storm and continued through weeks of cleanup. He said that coordination allowed crews to clear at least one lane on many of the county's roughly 800 miles of roads within days.
Johnson credited EMA Director Sean Granado for leading night-of operations. According to Johnson's account of Granado's remarks, "the night before we were at the EOC watching the forecast," and teams worked through the night despite spotty communications and damage to some county apparatus.
The county reported one fatality and said more than 5,000 homes were damaged, with roughly 200 described as completely destroyed. Johnson also described a large debris operation: "we removed millions of yards of debris," with cleanup extending more than 60 days and daily peaks of over 145 trucks.
Federal and state aid helped fund the work. Johnson said reimbursements exceeded $50 million by late 2025 and that the county recently received additional checks totaling $14 million. The storm's total county cost was "almost $85 million," he said; Johnson estimated Columbia County remained about $9'$12 million short of full reimbursement but said county staff have documented expenses carefully to maximize recovery.
Johnson tied the recovery effort to recognition for county staff: Columbia County was selected by the Georgia City County Management Association for a large county program award related to the hurricane response, and he said the county's EMA was named EMA of the Year for 2025.
Johnson framed the recovery as a cooperative effort across neighbors, local government, contractors and state and federal partners: "It was neighbor helping neighbor," he said. He also noted that the county temporarily paused nonessential operations during the storm for responder safety and later restored services as conditions allowed.
Looking ahead, Johnson said the county has returned many projects to active status after using project funds to cover immediate cleanup costs while awaiting reimbursements. He said county reserves and fiscal planning positioned Columbia County to absorb the short-term cash flow needs required to respond immediately to the disaster.
