Storm leaves Clarendon residents with power out

Tropical Storm Idalia swept through Clarendon County with high winds, leaving an abundance of rain and power outages behind.

According to Clarendon County Emergency Management Director Tom Barrineau, although Clarendon seemed to get the worst of the storm in the tri-county area, there was only minimal damage reported as of Thursday, Aug. 31, at 3 p.m. The county damage assessment process is being completed to assess damage.

"What we know so far is several roads were reported to be flooded throughout the county, but most of them are clear at this time," Barrineau said Thursday.

There are three county-maintained dirt roads - Clifton, Knowlton and Tobias Road - across the county that had portions temporarily closed because of water crossing them. Once the water recedes and an assessment has been completed, the roads will be reopened to traffic.

Across the county, rainfall totals reached between 6 to 8 inches, but near Lake Marion, the National Weather Service recorded 9 to 12 inches of rain spanning Clarendon and Orangeburg counties.

A potential tornado touched down north of Turbeville along Olanta Highway, prompting the National Weather Service to plan an assessment in the upcoming days.

Barrineau said the peak wind gust was reported to be between 40-45 miles per hour, and the NWS reported a 41 mph gust at Shaw Air Force Base Weather Station.

As the sun rose on Thursday, a multitude of Clarendon residents found themselves in darkness, with nearly 1,700 power outages documented. As of 1:45 p.m. on Aug. 31, 127 outages persisted despite ongoing efforts to restore power.

"If anyone has damage to report, they can call our office at (803) 435-9310 or email their information to clarendonem@clarendoncountygov.org," Barrineau said.

Residents can also download the Clarendon County Emergency Management app in the Apple App Store or Google Play and submit damage reports that way as well.