VALDOSTA, Ga. - Friday marked one year since Hurricane Helene tore through Valdosta , and residents say the storm’s effects are still easy to see.

The backstory:

"It does not feel like it’s only been a year. It feels like it’s been a long time, it’s been a long year," said Katie Watson, owner of Chez What Collective.

Watson’s 130-year-old building, which housed her antique marketplace, was among the hardest hit as the Category 4 storm roared through the city with winds topping 100 mph.

"It’s heartbreaking because I thought that day it just felt over," Watson recalled.

Helene made landfall in Florida before moving directly through Valdosta, the third major storm to strike the area in just over a year.

"I think that’s a moment I can say that I was in days of shock," Watson said.

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