AUGUSTA, Ga. — Hurricane Helene ravaged many parts of the southeast, including much of east Georgia.
Augusta, like some Central Georgia counties, was in the direct path of the storm. More than 225,000 Augusta residents lost power from the storm and many still don't have any power or utilities.
As the community works to clean up the fallen trees and debris, Augusta National Golf Club — the home of the Masters — looks to do the same after suffering "a lot of damage" from the Hurricane, according to Masters chairman Fred Ridley.
"We have been without power and water and other essentials for a number of days," Ridley said, according to CBS Sports. "So it really does impress upon you what can happen when there's a natural disaster such as that."
Augusta National, which is regarded as one of the best golf courses in the world, also hosts the Master's tournament, one of the four men's major golf championships in professional golf. The tournament is regarded as one of the best and most competitive tournaments in the sport.
Initially, Ridley released a statement that Augusta National was "assessing the effects" of the storm. However, he recently said that "a lot of people" are working to get the course "back up and running."
“We've had literally dozens of people working at the club, and what I really have been most proud of is while everyone certainly is focused on getting us up, back and running, our employees have been so focused on the community at large,” Ridley said.
He says that they've been working with other agencies in hopes of getting things back on track — on the course and in the community.
“We've been able to take care of our employees, but we've also been focused on what the Red Cross and other organizations are doing in Augusta, and our employees really have been a big part of that, which I think really speaks for them and the culture at the club,” Ridley said.
As Augusta National rebuilds, they're looking to help the rebuilding efforts for the rest of the town. They recently announced plans to donate $5 million toward the Hurricane Helene Community Crisis Fund, which supports local relief efforts throughout Augusta.
For now, the course rebuilds and reloads ahead of the next Masters competition in April 2025. While there's plenty of work to be done, Ridley offered a defiant tone, saying the tournament will go on as scheduled from April 10 through April 13.
“The Masters will be held, [and] it will be on the dates it’s scheduled to be held,” he said.