Fred Ridley, Chairman of Augusta National Golf Club and the Masters Tournament, issued a statement Saturday morning regarding the impacts of Hurricane Helene on both the Augusta area and the club itself.

Much of the American Southeast is reeling this weekend after the damage of Hurricane Helene has left at least 56 people dead and millions of people without power. The category 4 hurricane caused widespread destruction with winds of 140 mph starting on Thursday.

At 5:37 a.m. on Sept. 27, National Weather Service equipment at Augusta Regional Airport, which sees a massive influx of private jets for the Masters each spring, recorded a hurricane-force wind gust of 82 mph. A short while later, observations from the location ceased, suggesting the monitoring equipment had been rendered inoperable by the storm.