ST. MARYS, Ga. — Camden County residents are spending another night using flashlights.
More than 1,000 customers were in the dark Sunday following power outages caused by Hurricane Helene. Schools are canceled Monday and streets are still blocked.
Nancy Grove lives in a neighborhood off Dillworth Street in St. Marys that has several streets blocked by fallen trees and power lines.
“The wind was just ferocious,” Grove said.
She is still facing Helene’s impacts, but she isn’t facing them alone. Her three dogs, one of which is a neighbor’s, are keeping her company.
“You’re a good boy…kinda,” Grove told one of the dogs named Paco.
Grove and "her boys" have been trying their best to stay positive after a large tree in their yard fell Thursday night, taking out power lines and blocking their street.
Grove has been going to Publix to use Wi-Fi. She’s unsure when the power will be restored.
“I’m 82 years old,” Grove said. “I’ve lived a long time and so I’m just feeling very grateful that I’m fine. And I want everybody else to be safe, that’s how I’m feeling. I’m very grateful that nothing worse happened.”
Across the street, Susan Kelley has been charging phones in her car, which she said takes hours.
“Any type of relief seems nonexistent at this point,” Kelley said.
The power outage is preventing her from doing her job.
“My problem is I work from home,” Kelley said. “And without power and without internet it makes it kind of hard to log in.”
But despite days without power, Kelley remains optimistic.
“We just can’t wait to see them on this street and the street over and get the power back up and restored,” she said about crews restoring power in the county.
Grove also won’t let the power outage darken her spirits.
“Having animals is kinda wonderful because it distracts you from all the bad stuff,” Grove said.
According to Georgia Power, most customers could get their power back on Monday at 10 p.m.
The Camden County Board of Commissioners encourages anyone with Georgia Power to check the outage status here and those with Okefenoke Rural Electric Membership to check outage statuses here.