A.M. ATL: Reeling from Helene
Morning, y’all! Expect high temperatures around 80 degrees today.
- 🚨 Boil water advisory: Early this morning, Atlanta officials issued a boil water advisory for the area south of Martin Luther King Drive on the western side of the city — as well as for the cities of Fairburn, South Fulton, Chattahoochee Hills, Palmetto, and Union City.
- Those areas may lack water pressure due to “a failure at the Adamsville Pumping Station,” the city said.
Otherwise, we’ve got the latest on the Falcons’ dramatic win and the Braves hosting a do-or-die doubleheader — and an an evacuation-forcing chemical fire in Conyers,
But first: South and eastern Georgia, still in the thick of Helene’s aftermath.
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LONG ROAD AHEAD
Josie McQuaig rode out the storm in the hallway of her Waycross home. Praying.
“It didn’t sound like a train to me,” she told the AJC. “It sounds like a monster.”
Several hours later and 20 miles north, her nephew tried and tried and tried to chainsaw his way out of his Bristol neighborhood. He relented, had a panic attack — too many trees to tackle.
When would help come?
Several days after Helene ripped through, similar stories keep emerging from small towns, communities that remain largely isolated from the rest of the world: roads blocked, no cell service, power unlikely to return for many days, if not weeks.
“I’m surprised there’s one tree or one building standing,” Anthony Adams said as he checked on his mother in Valdosta.
- Former President Donald Trump plans to survey damage in that city of 55,000 later today. Power remains out for some 27,000 customers. (President Joe Biden will address Helene today at 10:30 a.m., and says he’ll visit storm-stricken areas when it doesn’t impact emergency response).
The storm claimed at least 17 lives in Georgia, including several in South Georgia.
Many others, including a mother and 1-year-old twins, died farther north near Augusta — where officials deemed Helene the city’s worst-ever natural disaster.
The city temporarily shut off water service Sunday and doesn’t sound hopeful about getting electricity back soon. Gas is at a premium.
- Democratic U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and Gov. Brian Kemp both plan to visit the Augusta area today.
Those of us in metro Atlanta (mostly) avoided the brunt of things.
But save a thought for others impacted, like those in western North Carolina — and like Waycross’ Teri Thomas, whose 10-year-old granddaughter relies on a feeding pump (and electricity) to eat and take medicine.
“We have found out real fast, there is nowhere to go,” she said.
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THE WEEK AHEAD
⚾️ Today: The Braves host a doubleheader against the Mets in Atlanta. More on that momentarily.
🎂 Tuesday: Former President Jimmy Carter celebrates his 100th birthday! Vice presidential nominees JD Vance and Tim Walz debate in New York City (9 p.m. on CBS).
- A bench trial regarding challenges to new Georgia election rules begins in Fulton County.
️⚽️ Wednesday: Atlanta United hosts Montreal in a crucial matchup for their playoff chances (7:30 p.m. on AppleTV).
🏈 Thursday: The Falcons host the Buccaneers for Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. on Amazon Prime).
- Actor Jamie Foxx’s three-night run of one-man shows is scheduled to begin. Maybe. He’s yet to announce location or ticket information.
📚 Friday: The Decatur Book Festival kicks off with a keynote conversation featuring author Joyce Carole Oates, who recently spoke with the AJC.
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RESIDENTS FLEE
A fire at the BioLab chemical facility in Conyers sent a massive plume of smoke into the sky Sunday — while forcing some 17,000 nearby residents to evacuate. Others were urged to stay inside and close their windows.
- I-20 remains shut down between Turner Hill Road and Salem Road.
- Newton County schools are closed today, too.
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APPROACHING 100
Ever wonder what Jimmy Carter’s life is like, just shy of his 100th birthday? The AJC’s Ernie Suggs reports that the former president’s days usually involve watching the previous night’s Braves game, the news and eating breakfast for dinner.
- “Sometimes, he will be in a good mood and wake up with an amazing smile and those blue eyes,” daughter-in-law Becky Carter said. “Then sometimes, as (son Chip Carter) says, he has those ‘report card’ eyes.”
Don’t miss: Four Georgians over 100 years old share their stories
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KOO & THE GANG
It wasn’t exactly pretty (and involved zero offensive touchdowns). But Younghoe Koo’s almost-last-second 58-yard field goal gave Atlanta a massive 26-24 win over the archrival Saints.
“There are so many things you can correct, but it’s always nice to correct those things after a win,” head coach Raheem Morris said.
- College football: Georgia dropped to No. 5 in the AP poll after Saturday’s wild loss to Alabama, which is now No. 1.
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HERE WE GO, BRAVOS
The Braves dropped Sunday’s game against the Royals, 4-2 — setting up today’s postseason-or-bust doubleheader with the visiting New York Mets.
- The scenarios are simple now: Win one of the games, and Atlanta’s in the playoffs. Rookie Spencer Schwellenbach will start the first contest, which begins at 1:10 p.m.
- Follow reporter @JustinCToscano for updates throughout the day.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
» 2 officers shot, suspect killed after burglary at Cobb gun store, GBI says
» Apalachee High returns to gridiron for first game after mass shooting
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ON THIS DATE
Sept. 30, 1970
Georgia’s attorney general informed Gov. Lester Maddox that he couldn’t prevent boxer Muhammad Ali (still dubbed Cassius Clay by the local newspaper) from launching his comeback in Atlanta.
Ali attempted to secure a boxing license from several states before Georgia state Sen. Leroy Johnson found a loophole: Since Georgia didn’t have a boxing commission, the city of Atlanta could issue Ali a license.
The bout ultimately helped trigger a new era of growth in Atlanta — and a postfight heist that recently spawned a TV series.
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PHOTO OF THE DAY
This courtesy photo shows workers at the new Arthur M. Blank Hospital in Brookhaven applauding 8-year-old Brittany Morales. Morales marked the first of hundreds of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta patients relocated from Egleston Hospital on Sunday.
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ONE MORE THING
Here’s how you can help with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts. Please consider it.
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Thanks for reading to the very bottom of A.M. ATL. Questions, comments, ideas? Contact me at tyler.estep@ajc.com.
Until next time.
About the Author
Tyler Estep hosts the AJC Win Column, Atlanta's new weekly destination for all things sports. He also shepherds the Sports Daily and Braves Report newsletters to your inbox.
