Multiple Deaths, Widespread Power Outages Across South Carolina in Wake of Tropical Storm Helene

By: Jessica Holdman

Tropical Storm Helene left a devastating imprint on South Carolina early Friday, causing 13 deaths and widespread power outages that affected over 1.2 million homes and businesses throughout the state. The lethal storm nullified over two-thirds of the state’s electricity supply in the wake of its fierce winds and heavy rainfall.

Early reports have revealed that most casualties occurred due to falling trees as a result of the damaging winds. These include the deaths of four individuals, two in Anderson County and two in Aiken County, confirmed by respective county coroners. Governor Henry McMaster confirmed additional fatalities including two firefighters in Saluda County and two in Newberry County tied to vehicular incidents due to storm conditions. Three more deaths in Spartanburg County have been reported by various news outlets.

Power Outages Across the State

Utilities across the state including Dominion Energy, Duke Energy, and Santee Cooper have reported massive power outages that according to several top-level executives could persist through the upcoming week. Keller Kissam, president of Dominion Energy South Carolina, stated the current outage parallels the power loss experienced after the notorious Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Duke Energy alone was reporting 545,000 outages in the Upstate as of Friday noon.

Devastation in the Upstate

The Upstate region has been subjected to immense damage by the storm. High winds uprooted trees on soil already soaked with rain from the days leading into the storm, resulting in total devastation. The meteorologists reported rainfall as high as 15 inches in Oconee, Greenville, and Pickens ahead of the storm. During its peak, wind gusts across the state ranged from 50 to 70 miles per hour, with gusts recording 72 miles per hour in Aiken and Anderson.

The National Weather Service had issued innumerable tornado warnings during the course of the storm, the aftermath of which is yet to be determined.

Utility Companies Invoke Patience

Utility executives have requested patience from the public as they tirelessly work to restore power as quickly as possible. They have also cautioned the public to stay away from downed power lines and exercise care when using generators to minimize possibilities of accidents like carbon monoxide poisoning.

For those displaced by the storm, six shelters have been opened across Laurens, Orangeburg, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, and Spartanburg counties, although uptake has been low with only about 30 people seeking shelter so far.

Continuing Threat

The National Weather Service forecasts major river flooding near Greenville, the Broad Rivers near the North Carolina border and the Wateree River near the dam which could extend the damage and impact caused by the weather event.

Tropical Storm Helene, which made landfall in Florida late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane, weakened into a Category 1 storm as it journeyed through Georgia, bringing tropical storm winds and heavy rainfall across South Carolina. It is subsequently expected to drift towards the northwest and dissipate over the Tennessee River Valley this weekend.

Relief Measures

GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham has declared the delegation’s commitment to work with Governor McMaster in securing federal disaster relief. This comes as the state bears the brunt of tropical storm Helene’s destructive path, less than two months after Tropical Storm Debby, which washed over parts of the state causing flood and property damage, although no deaths or injuries were reported.