EMS workers trekked through downed trees, power lines to save Augusta lives during Helene

For District 3 Commissioner Catherine McKnight, Central EMS's response on the morning Hurricane Helene hit Augusta was the difference between life and death for her mother.

EMS was called to McKnight's mother's home at about 1 a.m. Sept. 27, as the storm was barreling through the area. The roads needed to reach her were blocked with downed trees and powerlines.

Jacob Hanson, a Central EMS worker who was responding to the call, tried every way to get to the home, but could not find a passable road. He parked at a nearby Baptist church and set out on foot to make the rescue.

"He took his oxygen bottle and his medical aid kit, hiked over six-tenths of a mile, climbed over two huge downed trees and a lot of downed power lines, got to [McKnight's mother], gave her breathing treatments, and said, 'I'll be back,'" said Central EMS founder Gary Coker.

Hanson called for an ambulance, hiked back to meet with crews, and then made his way back to the home with a basket stretcher.

"The team loaded [McKnight's mother] onto the stretcher and carried her out by hand over the trees, six-tenths of a mile again, and put her in the ambulance," Coker said.

McKnight said to her, Hanson is a hero.

"I know you're [also] a hero in other people's eyes, as well as these other folks that have been out helping throughout this," she said. "Thank you for helping me with my mother."

But Coker said there are many similar stories, and recognized a number of individual EMS workers for their service to the community during Hurricane Helene.

Felicia Lambert, another Central EMS worker, ran her normal shift during the storm and then traveled to apartment complexes in downtown Augusta with a medical kit to assist the disabled.

"She went floor to floor asking, 'Can I check your blood pressure? Can I check your blood sugar? Can I give you some insulin? Is your oxygen machine out?'" Coker said. "They did a heroic job while dozens of their own families were in trouble. Eight of our [EMS workers] were displaced and they never missed a beat. You never missed ambulances on the street."

Data shows Central EMS responded to more than 1,500 calls during the week of Helene, amounting to 150% of the typical response volume.

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While the service usually operates 14 to 16 ambulances per day, Central EMS responded to the emergency by bringing in additional ambulances in from Cobb County, Catoosa County, Savannah, Statesboro, Macon and Athens.

Ambulances even responded from other states, including Chattanooga, Tennessee and Columbia, South Carolina.

"We had so many [ambulances], we sent some to [Augusta] hospitals to unload other ambulances that came in," Coker said.

Central EMS lost its operational headquarters on Wrightsboro Road during the storm, but will be setting up a construction trailer on site to continue operations for the next few months, while the facility is being restored.