Dental school rebuilds after Hurricane Helene

Dental College of Georgia experiences power outages, cancels classes

When Hurricane Helene struck on the night of Sept. 26, the Dental College of Georgia at Augusta University was one of many communities that experienced utter devastation and has been picking up the pieces ever since. 

Prior to the storm hitting, the dental school had initially planned to close clinics on Sept. 27 and temporarily move to virtual learning for the day. After assessing the significant impacts to the region, however, the school announced that remote instruction and all dental appointments would be canceled for the next week.  

Power lines were down, there was no internet service, and many residents’ homes had been damaged by fallen trees and debris. Some were completely displaced. William Bachand, D.D.S., director of the advanced education in general dentistry residency program at the Dental College of Georgia, said the Category 4 hurricane, which first made landfall in Florida, caught the public by surprise. 

“We knew it was coming. Augusta is pretty far inland so usually by the time storms reach us, they’ve weakened quite a bit. This one didn’t, and it changed directions almost overnight,” he said. “Watching those trees bend — we have some really big pine trees in our back yard and I was afraid they were going to fall. Luckily they didn’t, but our neighbors weren’t so lucky.”

Dr. Bachand said that although his home is intact, a tree fell through the roof of a house three doors down from him. In his neighborhood alone, Dr. Bachand has seen cars smashed by trees and rooftops caved in.

“People have had significant damage to their houses. It was just kind of luck of the draw,” he said. “Power lines were down everywhere, trees were down everywhere.”

The morning after, Dr. Bachand said he couldn’t get out of his neighborhood since the trees had blocked all of the streets. Over the next few days, neighbors used chainsaws to clear the paths and community members delivered water and necessities to those in need.  

On Oct. 7, students and faculty returned to campus. The past week entailed catching up on didactic teaching and simulations, testing the water lines and performing shock treatments on chairs. Throughout all the chaos, Dental College of Georgia Dean Nancy Young, D.M.D., said it's been heartwarming to watch the community come together and help one another during this time of need. 

The week back started bright and early with coffee and 700 Bojangles biscuits set out to feed everyone. Every day since, the school has served lunch in the lobby for students and staff. 

“We figured at least they could have a hot meal, or one decent meal a day,” Dr. Young said. “Our philosophy is we are one. Every role in this school is important, whether you are in sterilization or dispensary or a dental assistant or a faculty member or an admin. Everybody here is vital to the success of what we do, and they have truly all come together from every department, every area of the school, to step up and help serve each other.”

Additionally, the Georgia Dental Association contributed $9,000 to the dental school, which has gone toward the daily lunches and helping displaced students find new housing. One faculty member who lost her home has been particularly moved by the support. 

“I was talking to her during the lunch, and I said, ‘You know, we just want to make sure you have a nice lunch.’ And she said, ‘It’s not the food. It’s being able to come together and just see everybody and talk,’” Dr. Young recalled.  

The Georgia Dental Association provided 1,500 dental hygiene kits to communities and awarded $10,000 in grants to members most impacted by the hurricane to begin recovering from damage to their homes and practices. 

Jamie Mitchell, D.M.D., president of the Georgia Dental Association, said organized dentistry’s greatest strength lies in its “unified community of support” and expressed sympathies to all who have been affected. 

“The generosity of our members and board in contributing to the hurricane relief fund highlights the power of this community. Together, we've provided vital emergency financial assistance to support dentists and dental students in their time of need,” Dr. Mitchell said. 

The ADA is also working with the Dental College of Georgia to help support during this time.

Despite significant progress, the rebuilding period is not over. While the Dental College of Georgia didn’t experience any physical damage to the building, it did lose power and air conditioning, meaning all instruments needed to be re-sterilized. This process is underway, Dr. Young said, and postdoctorate students plan on taking patients again Oct. 14.  

“I always felt so privileged to be able to work here, and even more so now. The people in this building, at this college, are absolutely incredible individuals in every capacity. I feel very, very fortunate,” Dr. Young said. 

The Georgia Dental Association Foundation created a Hurricane Relief Fund that will offer financial assistance for housing and other basic needs to vulnerable dental students. Those interested can donate here. 

To donate or volunteer to address needs within the Augusta University community, visit this webpage.