Augusta Cemetery Receives $10K Grant for Hurricane Recovery

Fitten Street Cemetery to use funds for reforestation and cleanup efforts after Hurricane Helene damage.

Published on Feb. 3, 2026

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A historic cemetery in Augusta, Georgia has received a $10,000 grant from the Georgia Tree Council to help with reforestation and cleanup efforts after Hurricane Helene caused significant damage to the cemetery's tree canopy in 2024. The grant will allow the cemetery to begin replanting trees and restoring the grounds, which suffered from fallen trees and disturbed burial sites.

Why it matters

The hurricane caused widespread damage across Augusta's landscape, with thousands of acres of tree canopy lost. The grant to Fitten Street Cemetery represents a symbolic first step in the broader restoration process for the community, which has seen its fair share of severe weather events in recent years.

The details

The $10,000 grant, awarded through the Georgia Forestry Commission, will allow the Fitten Street Cemetery to begin replanting trees and cleaning up the grounds. The cemetery suffered significant damage during Hurricane Helene, with many trees toppled throughout the property and some burial sites disturbed by fallen timber. The grant is a matching grant, meaning the cemetery still needs to raise an additional $5,000 to access the full amount.

  • Hurricane Helene hit Augusta in September 2024, causing extensive damage to the area's tree canopy.
  • The Georgia Tree Council awarded the $10,000 grant to Fitten Street Cemetery in February 2026.

The players

Fitten Street Cemetery

A historic cemetery in Augusta, Georgia that suffered significant damage from Hurricane Helene in 2024.

Joyce Law

The curator of Fitten Street Cemetery.

Seth Hawkins

A representative from the Georgia Forestry Commission.

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What they’re saying

“And because of the grant we received, we can reforest and clean up.”

— Joyce Law, Curator, Fitten Street Cemetery (wrdw.com)

“Today we are only going to plant six trees, but its symbolic of let's restart that replanting process, right?”

— Seth Hawkins, Representative, Georgia Forestry Commission (wrdw.com)

What’s next

Representatives from the University of Georgia, Georgia Power, the Community Foundation and Savannah Riverkeeper are set to begin the Grow Back Project, a broader effort to restore the CSRA's tree canopy, early this summer.

The takeaway

The grant to Fitten Street Cemetery represents an important first step in the community's recovery efforts after Hurricane Helene's devastating impact on the local tree canopy. The cemetery's restoration work, combined with the broader Grow Back Project, will help revitalize Augusta's natural landscape in the years to come.