Friday’s live updates: At least 17 deaths reported across South Carolina due to Helene (2024)

Hurricane Helene punched the Midlands and South Carolina with high winds and heavy rain Friday, leaving 17 dead statewide, a mess of flooded streets, downed trees and millions of homes without power.

Four deaths each have been reported in Aiken and Greenville counties, three in Spartanburg County and two in each of Anderson, Newberry and Saluda counties, the Associated Press tweeted Friday afternoon.

Gov. Henry McMaster said at a press conference that two of those who died were Saluda County volunteer firefighters.

The Aiken County Coroner’s Officer confirmed it is investigating four hurricane-related deaths, all of which were due to trees falling through the roofs of homes. The office was unable to provide additional details as of Friday afternoon.

As of 2 p.m. Friday, 1.23 million customers were without power in South Carolina, according to PowerOutage.us. The outages were especially widespread across the Midlands and in the southeastern section of the state.

More than 91,000 customers were without power in Richland County as of 2 p.m., while Lexington County had nearly 103,000 outages. Spartanburg County had 171,000 outages at that point, while Greenville County had more than 260,000 customers without power.

4:15 p.m.

President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for South Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

The presidential declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts in Palmetto State, opening up federal funding to assist in the Palmetto State’s recovery efforts.

3:31 p.m.

One of the Midlands’ most noteworthy festivals, the Irmo Okra Strut, which was scheduled for this weekend, has been canceled amid the damage from Helene.

“Due to the ongoing State of Emergency in South Carolina and the significant damage caused by the recent storm, the Town of Irmo has decided to cancel the Lexington Medical Center Irmo Okra Strut, including the parade and all festivities at Moore Park,” the town said in a statement.

“With numerous fallen trees, widespread power outages, debris-strewn streets, and damaged traffic signals, prioritizing the safety of our community is paramount. Our public resources are fully dedicated to recovery efforts, ensuring the well-being of all residents.”

3:20 p.m.

South Carolina officials are watching the potential impacts of a dam failure in North Carolina.

An evacuation order was issued Friday for residents near the Lake Lure dam in western North Carolina, TV station WCNC reported, as officials warned that water could begin spilling over the dam due to the amount of rainwater swelling the reservoir.

Lake Lure feeds into the Broad River that connects to the Congaree River near Columbia. Congaree Riverkeeper Bill Stangler said he’s monitoring the situation at Lake Lure, but said that many other dams would intervene before any spillage makes its way to the Midlands.

“We’re already expecting pretty significant flooding on the Broad and Congaree, so it depends on how much water (overspills the dam) and when it arrives,” Stangler said.

Currently, the Congaree is expected to crest at 28 feet late on Sunday, Stangler said. That’s enough to put the river into moderate flood stage.

Speaking at a press conference with the governor Friday afternoon, Department of Environmental Services Director Myra Reece said her department is monitoring the situation, but noted that Lake Lure is 53 miles upstream from South Carolina, and any water from a dam failure would take about 13 hours to reach the state.

“To be conservative, we are looking at structures on the Broad River in Cherokee County and we’ll make notifications,” Reece said.

Fairfield County on the east side of the Broad north of Columbia called on citizens living near the river to be alert to any possible affects from a dam failure.

“We ask that everyone stay tuned to their televisions, radios, apps, etc for more information should it need to be disseminated to the public,” the county said in a statement at 3 p.m.

2:45 p.m.

Saluda County has implemented a countywide curfew beginning at 6:30 p.m. Friday and lasting until 8 a.m. Saturday, the county announced in a Facebook post.

“The highways and secondary roads still have down trees and power lines blocking lanes and it is very unsafe for travel,” the post said. “For everyone’s safety, please make plans to be off the roads before 6:30 p.m. this evening.”

Saluda is the second Midlands county to implement a curfew because of the damage wrought by Hurricane Helene overnight. The Aiken County Sheriff’s Office is also enforcing a curfew from 7:30 p.m. Friday to 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

2:21 p.m.

Sumter County felt the impact of Helene on Friday, according to Sheriff Anthony Dennis’ office. Wind gusts were as high as 52 mph in the county at one point.

As of 2 p.m., the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office had received 75 reports of downed trees and 50 reports of downed power lines.

“Never go near downed power lines,” Dennis said. “They may appear to be inactive but could still be energized and can be deadly. Parents should educate their children on the danger of fallen power lines. If you see a tree downed across a road or power lines down, call 911 and report it.”

1:50 p.m.

For nearly 10 consecutive blocks on Sunset Blvd (378) in Lexington, traffic lights were out behind a massive power outage, leaving countless businesses, including gas stations, restaurants and retail stores, idle.

Downtown Lexington was mostly a ghost town with few people walking out on the streets and multiple businesses and government buildings closed, including the Lexington County Court House.

Streets were heavily littered with tree debris.

In a residential neighborhood, two massive trees were down, blocking traffic from traveling on Mill Stream Road.

1:19 p.m.

Aiken County has issued a curfew for Friday night in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

Sheriff Michael Hunt said the curfew will last from 7:30 p.m. Friday until 7:30 a.m. Saturday.

“This act is being used as a deterrence for anyone who would want to take advantage of our citizens who have been greatly impacted by the storm,” Hunt said in a statement. “We have a substantial interest in the safety and security of our communities.”

A release from Aiken County said that “violators/looters will be arrested.” Hunt issued the curfew under an emergency declaration that had been signed by Aiken County Council Chairman Gary Bunker on Thursday night ahead of the storm.

12:55 p.m.

The Newberry County Sheriff’s office posted a message about the dire state of storm damage in that county north of Richland as of Friday afternoon.

“There is widespread damage,” the sheriff’s office posted to Facebook at about 12:45 Friday. “Power is out everywhere. Please stay off roads. Power crews are working but it is all over. Please be patient. Emergency Services are overwhelmed with calls but are still responding. Please be patient.”

According to PowerOutage.us almost all of Newberry County was without power as of 12:45, with 15,800 outages among 16,000 customers.

Meanwhile, in Lexington County, sheriff’s department spokesman Adam Myrick said that 68% of the county remained without power as of Friday afternoon.

12:42 p.m.

The Columbia Police Department warned residents to watch out for downed power lines across the city, noting there were lines down on Abingdon Road and Hillcrest Avenue, among other locations.

Police said that Dominion Energy officials advise residents to stay at least 30 feet away from any downed lines, always assume the lines are energized, and contact the power company immediately.

11:30 a.m.

The city of Columbia on Friday morning reopened portions of a pair of streets that had been closed because of significant rainfall from the storm. Whaley Street between Assembly Street and Sumter Street was reopened, as was Main Street between Catawba Street and Whaley Street.

The city noted that if trees are down in the public right of way or blocking roadways, residents should call the customer care line at 803-545-3300.

11:25 a.m.

The city of Columbia has confirmed a sanitary sewer overflow into Lake Murray Friday morning. The spill occurred near Sail Point Way and Sail Point Court due to a third-party equipment failure. Crews are on scene addressing the issue.

11:20 a.m.

In the Midlands, the cities of Cayce, Irmo, Lexington and West Columbia are all closed, as is Richland County. Lexington County and the town of Chapin opened their offices after a two-hour delay Friday morning. The city of Columbia has limited operations on Friday.

11:15 a.m.

The Columbia office of the National Weather Service reports that the highest wind gust recorded at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport was 67 mph at 6:12 a.m. That was right as Helene’s remnant eye wall approached the area.

Meteorologist Pierce Larkin said possible tornado strikes associated with the storm have been reported, but weather service agents have been unable to get out to confirm as of 11 a.m. due to dangerous road conditions around the area.

He said the widespread power outages and storm damage were a consequence of the intensity with which Helene, then a Category 3, made landfall in Florida and then quickly pushed over the Southeast. Coupled with the heavy rainfall Thursday that seeped into the soil, the perfect conditions existed to bring down multiple trees.

“That was 12 hours ago now and it’s already in central Appalachia, so it’s been moving rapidly,” Larkin said. “We’ve already had quite a bit of rainfall in northern half of the state, so with really intense winds and saturated soil, that’s lead to a lot of the tree damage.”

11 a.m.

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said first responders “continue to assess storm damage and road closures” there.

“Dozens of roads across the county are impassable due to downed trees, power lines and other debris,” Public Information Officer Capt. Adam Myrick said. “We have no reports of major injuries or deaths associated with the storm.”

10:45 a.m.

Officials with the Irmo Fire District reported that “dozens” of trees went down Friday morning, crashing into houses and across yards. “No neighborhood was spared,” the fire district posted, alongside a photo of a tree that crashed through a house. “Stay home.”

10:40 a.m.

Dominion Energy said it will be opening a spill gate at Lake Murray, releasing more water into the Saluda River to deal with additional water brought on by Helene.

“In addition to flowing water through the Saluda Hydroelectric plant’s generators, Dominion Energy will open a spill gate at the Lake Murray dam around 11 a.m.,” said Matthew Long, who does media relations for Dominion.

“This will compensate for a unit at the plant that is out of service for scheduled maintenance. We will continue to monitor the storm and make any adjustments if needed.”

10:25 a.m.

The University of South Carolina has downed trees around campus, a spokesman said, including one on the Historic Horseshoe, known for its towering oaks.

“Awaiting info on whether we had any building damage. We have power currently,” the spokesman said.

The USC Board of Trustees meeting, which was scheduled to be held the system’s Bluffton campus, was moved to its Hilton Head campus. The full board will meet, but committee meetings have been canceled.

10:05 a.m.

The Columbia Metropolitan Airport is working to continue with flights Friday morning.

“We have had six delays and six cancellations so far, but we just had our [Dallas/Fort Worth] flight on American Airlines take off, so that’s good that they were able to get out,” said Kim Crafton, the airport’s vice president of marketing and air service development.

“Winds right now are just the biggest issue. As you can guess, the wind gusts make it really challenging for aircraft to take off or land. Currently, we have not had any arrivals this morning, so it’s just going to be a fluid situation for the next few hours or so, if not the majority of today.”

10 a.m.

Batesburg-Leesville, in the far west of Lexington County, reports a large number of downed trees and other impacts from the storm.

The town’s police chief, Darren Amick, said they are dealing with about 40 roads blocked by power lines and fallen trees.

“We have no fatalities, no stranded vehicles. The flooding issue wasn’t near as bad as it was last time,” Amick said, referring to a storm that caused major flooding issues in the town last summer. “So all the roads would be passable, flooding wise, but we got trees everywhere and some roofs off. And of course, some people were stranded in some of their houses and their cars. And we got one family displaced right now that’s staying up here at our police department.”

Impacted roadways include U.S. 1 near Leesville Methodist Church, which is completely blocked by a large tree, and U.S. 23 near Batesburg Baptist Church, which is also completely blocked.

9:48 a.m.

City of Forest Acres spokeswoman Lynnsey Baker said the city had more than 30 trees down as of early Friday morning.

The spokeswoman advised Forest Acres residents to call their insurance company if a tree is down in their yard, to call Forest Acres Police if a tree is down in a roadway, to contact Forest Acres Fire Department if a tree is on a house and people need to be rescued, and to call Dominion Energy if power lines are down in their yard.

9:30 a.m.

Closed roads due to flooding and debris were “widespread” throughout Richland County, county spokesperson Susan O’Cain said Friday morning. Emergency management services across the county asked residents to avoid traveling unless absolutely necessary.

“Please stay off the roads,” Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said. “We are still experiencing trees and pwoer lines falling. Flooding is occurring throughout Richland County. Please be patient with first responders, they are out there working to protect your life.”

The county administration asked residents to avoid the following areas:

• Blythewood: Clamp Road, Roundtree Road, Wren Creek Drive

• Irmo: Alcorn and Olin Sites Roads, West Ashford Way, Jessie Stoudemayer Road

• Columbia: Heyward Brockington Court, Riley and Barnes Streets

A spokesperson from the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said that traffic was restricted along the following roads due to due to downed trees and power lines: Alpine Road, Blossom Street, Forest Drive, Huger Street, Killian Road, South Beltline and the intersection of Hardscrabble Road and Wilson Street.

Deputies were working to clear tree limbs while waiting on crews from Dominion Energy to fix the power lines, said a sheriff’s department spokesperson.

9 a.m.

The S.C. Department of Transportation reports that as of 8:52 a.m. the Blossom Street bridge remained closed, as was Kilbourne Road over Gills Creek and South Beltline Boulevard between Plowden Road and Shop Road. There was a lane closure on Two Notch Road between Bayview Drive and Shakespeare Road.

Arcadia Lakes Drive was closed in two areas where it passes over water; by Coopers Pond and Arcadia Woods Road, and between Trenholm Road and Sandwood Drive.

In the northeast all of Legrand Road between Rabon Road and North Grampian Hills has been closed, as well as Creekwood Drive and Overpond Road, and Alpine Road near Cardinal Newman over Jackson Creek.

Killian Road and Killian Loop were closed all the way to Wilson Boulevard, as are Folk Road and Lorick Road between Wilson and View Drive.

7 a.m.

In Forest Acres, just east of Columbia, a city spokeswoman said about 15 roads in the city were being affected by downed trees as of 6:53 a.m.

Some of the Forest Acres streets and areas with trees down included Linbrook, Gamewell, Pecival near Overcreek, Trenholm and Churchill, Laurel Springs, Spring Lake, Landers Street, Crystakl Drive, Bethel Church and Storkland.

Meanwhile, the bridge on Forest Drive over Gills Creek remained closed. Forest Acres officials were urging drivers to stay off city roads early Friday morning.

A massive oak tree had fallen and blocked Greene Street on the University of South Carolina campus between Pickens and Laurens streets. The tree was uprooted and lay across multiple cars parked on the two-laned road that is known for its avenue of trees. Students stood near the tree, discussing the mess just after 8 a.m.

“I was up all night, I was absolutely so scared when we lost power,’’ said USC sophomore Ella McGarrigan, standing outside her home on Greene Street.

Branches lay on the ground throughout the Five Points and Shandon areas in the downtown area of Columbia, including near USC. Gusty winds continued through the early morning. Five Points, known for flooding, was relatively dry in the morning.

Friday’s events followed a watery, flooded Thursday in which creeks overflowed their banks and multiple intersections flooded, including at Whaley and Main Street near USC.

As of 7:17 a.m., there were a host of road closures across the town of Lexington, according to the Lexington Police Department.

Those included 2400 Mineral Springs Road, 5700 Sunset Blvd/US-378, 4801 Sunset Blvd, South Church Street at Roberts Street, Satcher Road at Pond View Lane, and several streets in the Golden Hills neighborhood.

Lexington County offices are operating on a two-hour delay, and the county administration building was without power as of 7 a.m., a county spokesperson said. Richland County offices are closed for the day Friday. The city of Columbia reports trees and power lines are down across roadways and encourages drivers to stay off the roads.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.