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Family Promise offering "long-term" disaster help in RH, Pembroke
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For local residents in need, Family Promise of the Coastal Empire (FPCE) is currently launching long-term recovery efforts in Bryan County, offering resources to households still struggling after the devastation of Tropical Storm Debby and Hurricane Helene.

Family Promise of the Coastal Empire is working alongside the Coastal Empire Disaster Recovery Committee (CEDRC) to launch Disaster Recovery Outreach and Casework Services. “Family Promise of the Coastal Empire is honored to begin Long- Term Recovery Case Management in Bryan County, providing critical support to households still struggling to rebuild after disaster strikes,” said Katrina Bostick, Executive Director.

Tropical Storm Debby caused severe flooding in Bryan County, with the Ogeechee River rising to near-record levels and inundating neighborhoods. Months later, the damage has left many families still in need of recovery support.

To better serve the community, FPCE will operate out of two office locations:  

  • Richmond Hill at the Church on the Hill (Monday through Friday)
  • Pembroke at City Hall (Monday and Wednesday)

With the FEMA application deadline rapidly approaching on February 7, 2025, Family Promise will prioritize applications to ensure all impacted households receive the assistance they need to meet this deadline.

For more information or to begin the recovery process, visit the Family Promise of the Coastal Empire website.

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Richmond Hill native among victims from D.C. plane crash
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Richmond Hill native Sam Lilley. (Photo: Facebook)

A Richmond Hill High School graduate was among two pilots killed in Wednesday night’s fatal accident between a U.S. military helicopter and a passenger jet near Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport.


Sam Lilley was a First Officer on the American Airlines flight, according to his father Tim, who expressed his sorrow and condolences in a post on Facebook:


“I was so proud when Sam became a pilot,” Tim Lilley wrote. “Now it hurts so bad I can’t even cry myself to sleep. I know I’ll see him again but my heart is breaking.”


Sam Lilley went to Richmond Hill High School and graduated from Georgia Southern University.


Mayor Russ Carpenter, who also currently teaches U.S. Government classes at Richmond Hill High School, expressed his condolences in a statement:


“We are saddened by the news of Richmond Hill native Sam Lilley,” Carpenter wrote. “Many people at RHHS have fond memories of him. We are praying for his family and fiancé.”


The midair collision killed all 67 people aboard both aircrafts, according to the Associated Press, and marks the deadliest U.S. air crash since 2001.


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