LAURENS COUNTY, Ga. — In the aftermath of Helene, parts of Laurens County are still without power and water.
Sheriff Larry Dean and his deputies are trying to take the lead on providing any assistance they can.
He says nearly 1,000 homes in the county were destroyed or damaged by Helene.
“I've been sheriff for eight years, we have been through a couple tropical storms, but we've never been hit by a category one hurricane,” Dean said.
Dean says deputies will continue to provide water until power is restored.
Dublin resident Michelle Smith says law enforcement have been a huge help.
“Each house helped a little bit here and there and made sure that we had what we needed to just kind of start off,” Smith said.
She says it has not been easy for her family.
“We were actually trapped at our house," Smith said. "A tree had fallen on this side of the road and our neighbor's tree fell on that side of the road."
Dean says right now the Laurens County Sheriff's Office has a 40-foot trailer that can hold up to 400 cases of water. They're encouraging people to drive over if it's safe, or the sheriff's office can have a deputy bring it to your home.
“Call 911, and we'll get a crew out there to open up their roads, their yards, to get to them,” Dean said.
He says his main focus is turning the lights back on for 90% of the county within the next few days. Dean says more than 200 trucks from various power companies, including Georgia power, are involved in helping restore power.