COFFEE COUNTY, Ga. (WALB) - Coffee County is still working to recover from Hurricane Helene’s devastation. Now, Hope for Coffee and The Hope Initiative are teaming up to build homes for storm survivors while honoring a volunteer who gave his life helping others.

Lee Sims was one of the first volunteers on the ground after the storm hit in September 2024, damaging 80 to 85 percent of homes across the county. Sims died in a tragic accident while heading home to Mayfield, Kentucky. He was hit by a disaster relief truck.

“Lee had a heart to serve and felt called to serve in Coffee County,” said Devis Burnam, executive director of Hope for Coffee. “This is where he intended to serve.”

The organization is dedicating land to his memory. The plan is to build at least eight homes for people who were displaced, many of them renters who can now become homeowners.

One of those helped was Joy Ward. She and her husband, both in wheelchairs, had their roof destroyed during the storm.

“I couldn’t cook while it was raining, it flooded our kitchen,” Ward said. “I had coolers, pots, buckets, just about ten I had to set around. We couldn’t get the other organizations to help.”

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