HAZLEHURST — It’s hard to drive even a block in this small southeast Georgia city without seeing a construction crew or blue tarps.

Workers cluster around the county’s century-old courthouse, repairing its domed clock tower and the soffits under the roof’s eaves. The high school gym is finally getting a rebuild after its roof collapsed.

In the heart of downtown, the First Baptist Church is missing two steeples. The terminal at the local airport needs more work. The auto parts store next to the railroad tracks still has its entire southwest facade open to the elements.

It’s been almost a year since Hurricane Helene carved an unprecedented path of destruction here and across other inland parts of South and Middle Georgia from Valdosta to Augusta. Its record-setting wind gusts, rain

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