Volunteers Saw Helene Devastation First-Hand At Corps Park

It’s pitch black. Al and Tina Carpenter sit huddled in a campground bathhouse; their two dogs nestled between them. The wind howls, and rain hammers against the roof, while the deafening crash of trees echo throughout the park. Outside, the storm rages on, but inside, a strange stillness settles as the Carpenters wait for morning.

“When you wake up and see it, you’re heartbroken,” said Tina. “That’s your park that you love, that you’ve put blood, sweat, and tears into, and it’s destroyed.”

Hurricane Helene moved through the J. Strom Thurmond Dam and Lake (Clarks Hill Lake) on Sept. 27, 2024. The Carpenters were living in a fifth wheel at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, Ridge Road Campground at the time. They made the decision to pack some key items and move to the bathhouse just before the storm.

The couple have been park volunteers for 14 years, but they have been a part of the Thurmond campground community for generations. They learned to fish at the lake with their parents, brought their children camping, and now they share those same special experiences with their grandchildren.

“Fond memories,” said Al. “That’s why we love it so much.”

Tina and Al Carpenter rode out Hurricane Helene in the bath house at Ridge Road Campground, where they are volunteer park hosts.

The Carpenters often helped former park attendants clean up some of the sites. When park rangers noticed their involvement, they asked the Carpenters if they would be interested in volunteering as park hosts.

“We love our lake, and we love our campgrounds,” said Tina. “Thurmond has always been special to us.”

Over the years, they have seen their fair share of storms, but nothing to the extent of the damage Hurricane Helene caused.

“There’s no words to describe how bad it is,” said Tina. “Pictures don’t even do it justice.”

Tina shared that, while driving through the park was devastating, the aerial footage she had seen of Thurmond after the storm was an eye-opening moment for her.

“There are so many trees down in here,” said Tina. “Our park actually looks dead.”

As friends in the community express their interest in volunteering to get the park back on its feet, the Carpenters say that it’s impossible. One of the trees that fell on their camper was over 140 feet tall and had 97 rings, making it almost a century old.

“It’s more than what you realize,” said Tina. “There’s no way you can just take a chainsaw and get these parks cleaned up.

 In addition to the heavy equipment needed to do the work, the couple also noted the added hazards of trees that continue to fall from slight wind, weakened soil or eventual decay.

“It’s dangerous,” said Al.

Tina went on to explain that there was damage beyond the trees and listed a series of infrastructure in need of repair, including picnic tables, grills, campfire pits, water faucets and electric panels.

“It’s not anything a group of people can do without the proper equipment to do it,” said Tina.

The Carpenters, like many in the community, want to see Thurmond fully restored but understand that may not happen this season, and possibly not next season either.

“[The Corps] is doing everything in their power,” said Tina. “Their hands are kind of tied.”

Status of the parks. Work to recover continues, and several recreation areas have been opened with the Savannah District’s limited fiscal year 2025 operations and maintenance funds. As of March 13, 2025, 27 of 51 areas are now open. These areas are mostly boat ramps and hunter access points. Vegetative debris and infrastructure repairs are still needed in most of these areas. The District continues to pursue emergency supplemental funding administered by (headquarters) USACE and the Federal Highway Administration to remove the vegetation debris hazards and repair the infrastructure.

The Savannah District asks visitors to please be patient and to stay out of closed areas, as there are still hazards that pose safety concerns. Open recreations area on the lake that are managed by the state and county are good alternatives until the Army Corps of Engineers re-opens its parks.

To follow along the progress of restoring Thurmond, visit Helene Recovery at Thurmond Lake.