75 trees, 50 power lines down: Helene, now tropical storm, still impacting Sumter, Clarendon, Lee County
A tornado watch in Sumter County has been removed by the National Weather Service as Helene has been downgraded to a tropical storm Friday afternoon. A tropical storm warning remains in effect and is still being felt.
Wind gusts have been as high as 52 mph in Sumter County. The National Weather Service reported wind speed had decreased to 18 mph at 12:55 p.m., Friday, Sept. 27, as reported by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.
As of 2 p.m., the sheriff’s office had received 75 reports of downed trees and 50 reports of downed power lines since Wednesday evening, Sept. 25.
Sheriff Anthony Dennis cautioned residents in a news release to be “extremely careful” when driving and to report any trees or power lines downed on roads.
“Never go near downed power lines,” he 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.”
As of 2:30 p.m., there are over 613,000 customers without power reported by Duke Energy in South Carolina, including 2,789 in Sumter County, 297 in Clarendon County and 141 in Lee County.
The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina is reporting nearly 316,000 meters without power across the state, including 1,126 in Sumter, 1,059 in Clarendon and 307 in Lee. Companies that serve the tri-county include Black River Electric, Tri-County Electric and Santee Electric.
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Over 600,000 power outages are being reported across South Carolina by Duke Energy, including 4,110 in Sumter County, 580 in Clarendon County and 147 in Lee County.
The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina is reporting 2,090 meters without power in Sumter County, 2,665 in Clarendon and 376 in Lee.
The Sumter Item is without power. The office received a message from Duke Energy: “Tropical Storm Helene continues to impact our area with heavy rain and localized flooding. Stay away from downed power lines and avoid standing water. Once conditions allow, crews will begin assessing damage to provide you with the most accurate info possible about your outage.’
This is as of 9:15 a.m. Friday, Sept. 27.
Sumter Police Department officers are continuing to report downed trees, limbs and power lines.
Sumter remains under a tropical storm warning this morning with a chance of shower and thunderstorms before 2 p.m., then a slight chance of showers between 2 and 3 p.m. before the sun reappears.
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From the Town of Summerton, 9:30 a.m.: “It appears that we were fortunate enough to avoid any substantial damage due to the hurricane. While we are experiencing power outages and limb debris around town, your public works department is doing its best to keep everyone safe. Initially, we intended on opening at 10 a.m., but due to significant power outages, we will open later. As soon as power returns throughout town, Town Hall will open today.”
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10:30 a.m. -- Due to inclement weather and power outages, several MUSC Health physician offices will be closed today, Friday, Sept 27:
- MUSC Health Primary Care - Haile Street
- MUSC Health Primary Care - Elgin
- MUSC Health Primary Care - East Marion Street - (town of Kershaw)
- MUSC Health Women's Health - Lugoff
- MUSC Health Urology and Women's Health - Elgin
- MUSC Health Pulmonology Camden
- MUSC Health Women's Health Roberts Street
- MUSC Health Colorectal Surgery
- MUSC Health Urology - Columbia
- MUSC Health Cardiothoracic Surgery
- MUSC Heart & Vascular at 1655 Bernardin Ave
- MUSC Health Heart & Vascular Laurel Street
- MUSC Health Heart & Vascular Pinnacle Point
- MUSC Health Heart & Vascular Lexington
- MUSC Health Heart & Vascular Haile Street in Camden
- MUSC Health Heart & Vascular Newberry
Additionally, MUSC Health Ophthalmology Camden will be delayed until 1:30 p.m.
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From the Associated Press:
"Hurricane Helene roared ashore as a powerful Category 4 storm in a sparsely populated region of Florida, peeling the siding from buildings, trapping residents in rising floodwaters and knocking out power to millions of customers. At least five people were reported dead.
"The storm made landfall late Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (225 kph) in the rural Big Bend area, home to fishing villages and vacation hideaways where Florida’s Panhandle and peninsula meet.
"... Nearly 4 million homes and businesses were without power Friday morning in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, according to poweroutage.us, which tracks utility reports.
"... The hurricane came ashore near the mouth of the Aucilla River on Florida’s Gulf Coast. That location was only about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of where Hurricane Idalia hit last year at nearly the same ferocity and caused widespread damage.
"... Soon after it crossed over land, Helene weakened to a tropical storm, with its maximum sustained winds falling to 70 mph (110 kph). At 5 a.m., the storm was about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Macon, Georgia, and about 100 miles (165 kilometers) southeast of Atlanta, moving north at 30 mph (48 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami reported.
'... Beyond Florida, up to 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain had fallen in the North Carolina mountains, with up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) more possible before the deluge ends, setting the stage for flooding that forecasters warned could be worse than anything seen in the past century."
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This story will be updated with information as it becomes available. Send photos to editor@theitem.com.