WHEELER COUNTY, Ga. — Monday marks 24 days since Hurricane Helene stormed through the Peach State. It also marks 24 days of comradery among communities working to recover from the destruction.
In Central Georgia, we witnessed the destruction left by the storm.
Without the help of the entire community, recovery efforts could not progress as much as they have, according to several emergency management and law enforcement agencies.
"The Lord was watching over Wheeler County," 14-year-old Ezra Hammons said.
Adults in Wheeler credit the kids in their county for lending a hand post-Helene.
The Softball Team at Wheeler County High collaborated with distribution centers to get help and donations to people in need.
Some helpers are homeschooled; they worked 12 to 16 hour shifts for two weeks straight.
Most of them never lived through a storm like Helene.
Carver Dixon, 7, said he slept through it.
"But, when I walked outside, our house looked like a war zone," Dixon said. "Our trampoline was in our yard, now it's on the other side of the pasture."
Dru Lawrence, 17, told us her home was inaccessible with so many trees down in the yard.
"We live like 3-quarters-of-a-mile from the road," she explained. "Our whole driveway was covered in trees. We had to move 70 trees to get out of our driveway."
Dru added all she and the folks moving the trees in her yard could do was count because of how slow they had to go.
Despite facing their own obstacles in the storm's aftermath, the kids lent a hand.
"I was just doing whatever I could to help," Carver said.
"I was itching to go give out deliveries and help people," Dru said. "I just wanted to help somebody."
Clayton Dixon, 12, said he was "the coffee man."
"I just ran and did whatever jobs people told me to do. Just random jobs," he explained.
No matter how big or small the task was, Rilyn Rodgers said "I would do it all over again."
Rilyn had a significant role in the recovery efforts, according to her friends, the emergency management agencies and law enforcement officials.
Without a community page on social media, Rilyn recognized the need to communicate with people needing help in the aftermath of Helene.
After setting up the Wheeler County Emergency Support Group, she served as a liaison between the people in need and the people who could help.
According to those helping out at the headquarters, which was one of the points of distribution, Rilyn played a vital role in the recovery efforts.
"We will not stop until the work is done, until our community is back and better than ever," Rilyn said.
Local leaders, the sheriff's office, a GBI unit and even the National Guard credit the kids in Wheeler County for lending a hand when they needed it most.
"We couldn't check on anyone," freshman Roxy Evans from the softball team at Wheeler County High said. "The first few days, there was no service so nobody to check on. It was so stressful, I swear."
But they made what seemed impossible, possible.
"During this, everybody came together and helped each other out, and it was really nice to see that we were capable of doing that," 15-year-old Camden Dixon said. "Put our differences aside and come together."
Every young person said they were changed through the different situations they encountered.
"It does give you perspective, because sometimes we can get trapped in our own little bubble and say, 'Oh, well, this is bad,'" 17-year-old Rosy Hammons said. "Then, you go and you look out, and you go, 'Oh my gosh, I have it so much better than a lot of people.'"
For families with linemen working tirelessly, like Junior Mackenzie Johnson. Her father, brother and uncle are linemen, and they learned about the difficulties they faced as they worked tirelessly in the aftermath.
"It's been like really hard not being able to see them, because they're working like 16-hour shifts," Johnson said. "They were very stressed and tired with all the stuff they're having to do, and it hurts me to see that they're going through this."
She explained their own homes were damaged, but helped others before themselves.
It was really easy to take things for granted, senior Mackenzie Scott said.
"Like the lights, internet, stuff that we just use every day," Scott said.
But after counting their blessings, they took care of each other.
"There are a lot of people that were able to get help that they needed beforehand, but they just didn't have the means to get that help," Ezra recalled.
"We feel very blessed to know they were ok and that we were able to help them," junior Annabeth Ethredge said.
"The landscape around us has changed, but the landscape of the community, everybody together, has changed for the better," Camden said.