Augusta National focused on helping city and community after Hurricane Helene's devastation

Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley released a statement on Saturday morning regarding Hurricane Helene. His focus is on the community.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region as a powerful Category 4 storm, impacting millions across the southeastern United States. Over the last 48 hours, it has left devasting impacts in the Florida Panhandle, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

That also includes Augusta, which saw wind gusts of up to 80 miles per hour at its local airport. First responders in the city reported numerous trees falling on houses, cars, and power lines. Flooding also wreaked havoc on the area, which led to several fatalities in the region. Nearly 225,000 people are without power, per The Augusta Chronicle. The greater metro area encompassing Augusta, Georgia, and Aiken, South Carolina, has a population of about 600,000, meaning more than a third of the residents in this area have lost power.

Nearly 1.1 million residents in Georgia are without power overall. Gas shortages have also led to massive lines at gas stations.

Hence, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley released a statement on early Saturday morning related to this storm:

“Our Augusta community has suffered catastrophic and historic impact from Hurricane Helene. We currently are assessing the effects at Augusta National Golf Club,” Ridley said in the statement.

“In the meantime, our focus and efforts are foremost with our staff, neighbors, and business owners in Augusta. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as well as everyone throughout Georgia and the Southeast who have been affected.”

Ridley did not mention any damage to the club’s property; instead, he focused on the community. The club has maintained a philanthropic presence in Augusta for years, supporting local charities and endeavors annually through its Masters Tournament Foundation. The club also provided the Boys and Girls Club of Augusta with a $2.5 million gift that helped build a community center, which opened in 2022.

But now the region faces devastating impacts that could take months—perhaps years—to clean up and repair. Yet, Augusta National will be at the forefront of those efforts, lending a hand to its community, which is desperately in need. Whether the course and club suffered any damage is unknown, but that is clearly not the priority.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.