Hurricane Helene has taken and changed the lives of many in the community. In Bulloch County alone, Helene has left fallen trees, broken stoplights, power outages, and water shortages, leaving the surrounding community at a loss for many resources. Helene has separated families and changed the school year.

With this year having Georgia Southern University’s largest freshman class, we would like to share some personal experiences from their first hurricane at Georgia Southern.

Freshman Mikayla Nesmith describes her experience as lonely and confusing,

“When I was in Statesboro, I was a wreck. I really felt lonely and confused. The power for those of us on campus came back quickly, but knowing that my family and those I care about were hit so bad and that I couldn’t do anything about it or see any of their faces made me sad.”

“I’d rather be slightly uncomfortable physically in a hot house than have to deal with the mental torture of not being with my family during their time of crisis,” said Nesmith.

Freshman James Younge describes the difficulty he faced trying to get home in Atlanta,

“It was not a happy time driving on I-16…going back to Atlanta with the heavy amounts of rain. Then, when I got to Atlanta, I stayed at my cousin’s house until, like, 5 am on Friday waiting for the hurricane to pass.”

“Then, as we were driving back, and we saw the trees on the powerlines and the overall state of Bulloch County, we saw that the community needed their week to regroup…I’m still praying for everyone who was heavily affected by the hurricane and the fire in Newton County. But in my opinion, the best people you could experience these kinds of things with are the people you’re closest to, and I feel like I got a good support group who keep the energy and the vibe high.” said Younge.

Freshman Kyra Simon describes her experience as worried, “I was honestly worried, mostly about how GSU was communicating with us. Everything felt surreal to watch and see, especially since the hurricane wasn’t [supposed] to be near us. The minimum preparation for the hurricane shocked me, especially with the power going out at around 1 am, people having to sit with no AC, some with no food or water, and some having to throw out food.”

“I’m feeling more confident in what I could be able to do if a situation has ever occurred with that type of force again, but in the moment, the adrenaline of what was happening was scary. To think others had physical, mental, and emotional trauma from what’s happened–most definitely hurts more than anything,” said Simon.

Freshman Royale McIntire describes her experience as frustrating,

“…I couldn’t sleep because people were playing hide and seek in our building and the wind wasn’t any help either…”

“…I had no water; me and my roommate went to, like, 5 stores and there was no water anywhere…I’m relieved that school is out but annoyed that the storm shut everything down. I mainly went back home so I don’t have to rely on the dining commons limited schedule.” said Mcintire.

Freshman Xavier Hardman says that the hurricane didn’t affect him, but coming back created some issues, “…Some roads were closed due to trees falling and stuff, and when I left to go home on Thursday, some roads were flooded.”

“But thank God me and my family ain’t get affected by it too much, “ said Hardman. 

For resources in the community to help with the effects of Helene, click here.