Repair shops in parts of Georgia still face significant backlogs nearly seven months after Hurricane Helene swept through the region, according to local media. 

Hurricane Helena made landfall in Florida Sept. 26 as a Category 4 Hurricane and caused $78.7 billion in damage across Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, East Tennessee, and Southwestern Virginia, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The historic storm killed 219 people. 

According to FOX54 News, it is taking an average of about a month for vehicles to be repaired in the Central Savannah River Area, which includes Augusta, Georgia, and Aiken, South Carolina. However, some vehicles take longer, up to three months. 

“This is major damage,” Clay Brewer, Riley’s Paint & Body owner, told the news station. “It’s not just something you see every day. You are talking about cutting roof skins out. You are talking about cutting quarter panels out. It’s very, very dramatic and different from what we do day in and day out.”

Tyler Smith, of Rick’s Paint & Body, told the TV station that the normal volume of work has been multiplied by seven or eight. 

Riley’s currently has a backlog of about 50 vehicles, and Rick’s, a larger shop, has about 270, according to the news report. 

Smith also told the news station that the demand has caused a shortage of some parts at manufacturers. 

“They don’t necessarily sell a roof for every vehicle that often, so there weren’t that many in storage and warehouses,” said Smith. “Now, all of the sudden, they’re having to manufacture these parts, so we’re seeing a lot of delays on that aspect.”

Shops also told the news station there is a wait for insurance to approve estimates. 

“A process that has also started to see longer wait times due to the volume,” the article says. 

Consumers are facing running out of time on rental coverage as the repair time is extended, the article says. It adds that many of the shops are asking consumers not to drop off a vehicle that is drivable until they have a repair start date. 

Last month, Georgia Sen. Nabilah Islam-Parkes asked Insurance Commissioner John King to launch an investigation into insurance companies’ profits following Hurricane Helene, according to WRDW. 

She said the investigation is needed following a report from the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation, which found insurers reported a $432 million loss but diverted more than $1.8 billion to affiliate companies. 

“Are GA insurance companies hiding profits while increasing our premiums?” Islam-Parks said on Twitter. “A bombshell report in Florida revealed that’s exactly what happened there. I wrote a letter to our Insurance Commissioner John King, demanding an investigation into GA’s insurance market. He said no. Where there is smoke, there is fire and we would be fools to think insurance companies are not running the same scam in Georgia.”

Are GA insurance companies hiding profits while increasing our premiums? A bombshell report in Florida revealed that’s exactly what happened there. I wrote a letter to our Insurance Commissioner John King demanding an investigation into GA’s insurance market. He said no.

Where… pic.twitter.com/WaFmkjqE9Z

— Nabilah Islam Parkes (@NabilahIslam) March 18, 2025

WRDW that the Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner (OCI) provided a statement to them saying the report of Florida raises questions regarding affiliated transfers but that Florida’s insurance market presents unique challenges which are not prevalent in Georgia. 

“Specifically, due to the prevalence of intense natural disasters in the state, many if not most of the larger insurers seek to form a state-specific insurer in Florida,” the OIC says in its statement. “These subsidiaries of larger national insurers are domiciled in Florida but are largely dependent on the national company or other affiliated entities. In the Georgia property marketplace, most larger insurers operate under the national corporate structure, with premiums paid directly to the national insurer, rather than through that of a subsidiary and then through to the parent insurer.”

The statement says affiliate agreements in Georgia require prior approval from the OIC as well as reviews of efficacy during a five-year review of domestic insurers.

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