USA Today

"Hurricane Helene caught everyone off guard. Augusta and surrounding area residents told me repeated tales of powerlessness as hurricane-force winds tore through their heavily wooded neighborhoods, toppling trees onto vehicles, roadways and still-occupied homes. Through luck or miracle, their lives were spared and some still had intact homes.

My most memorable experience was with the Schaumann-Rhodes family. I met Michele Rhodes while she was sitting in her driveway airing out clothing. Her husband, Pete Schaumann, was at work. Their daughter Tallulah Schaumann, a piano performance major at Augusta University, was home inside. The two showed me where a large pine tree sliced through their roof, making the home unlivable and humid — an imminent threat to Tallulah’s two pianos. T

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