A view of the overflowing Congaree River and the Gervais Street Bridge from West Columbia, S.C., on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. The Three Rivers Greenway, which is between the tree line and kudzu, is completely submerged. (Nancy Ostergaard/Provided to the SC Daily Gazette)
The confirmed death toll from Tropical Storm Helene in South Carolina rose to 25, Gov. Henry McMaster announced over the weekend. Federal recovery aid was expedited for the Palmetto State as flooding and power outages continue in the storm’s wake.
More than 850,000 electric customers remained without power as of 11 a.m. Monday, more than half of those being Duke Energy customers in the Upstate.
Meanwhile, multiple rivers – the Enoree, Saluda, Broad, Catawba, Wateree and Congaree – in the Upstate and Midlands reached the major flood stage Sunday and Monday, according to the National Weather Service. The Saluda and Reedy rivers in Greenville and Broad River near the North Carolina state line hit record highs over the weekend.
As that water flows downstream, the Congaree River in Columbia is forecasted to crest near levels seen during historic flooding in 2015 when a deluge of rain from Hurricane Joaquin prompted voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas.
A view of the overflowing Congaree River and the Gervais Street Bridge from West Columbia, S.C., on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (Nancy Ostergaard/Provided to the SC Daily Gazette)
And the state Department of Transportation was reporting more than 300 full or partial road closures due to downed trees and power lines statewide as of 11 a.m. Monday, as well as 19 roads washed out by the storm.
Spartanburg County experienced the most fatalities with six, followed by Greenville County with five, Aiken County with four, Saluda County with three, Newberry County with two and one in Chesterfield County. Most have been killed by falling trees.
Among those who died were Karen McCall, 60, of Anderson, who was driving to pick up a family member in Anderson County on Friday morning, the county coroner’s office reported. Family later reported her missing and police tracked her phone location. Authorities using a drone found her vehicle overturned in floodwater south of Westminster with her inside.
Two men in Landrum were riding in a golf cart surveying damage when a tree toppled on them, the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office reported.
James Walter Parrish, 47, was driving a motorcycle toward Greenville Sunday when the driver of a different vehicle swerved to miss a downed tree and struck him. He died at the hospital.
Michael Roukous, 29, of Dexter, New York, was staying at a bed and breakfast in Beech Island when a tree crashed through the roof, killing him.
And a man in Chesnee died from carbon monoxide poisoning while running a generator in his house.
As of noon Monday, the death toll from Helene had reached at least 120 across six states. At least 35 people were killed in the county that includes Asheville, North Carolina, according to The Associated Press.
The Reedy River in downtown Greenville on Friday, Sept. 27, 2024. (Provided by city of Greenville)
Helene made landfall in Florida late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 140 mph. As the storm pushed inland, it weakened but was still a Category 1 storm as it moved up through Georgia, tracking slightly more to the East than anticipated, and brought tropical-storm-force winds and heavy rainfall across South Carolina.
To aid in recovery, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved McMaster’s request for an expedited presidential disaster declaration.
Uninsured and underinsured homeowners and renters in Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Lexington, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, and Spartanburg counties are eligible for financial assistance to pay for repairs, temporary housing and replacement of crucial household items. Thos who sustained losses can begin applying for assistance by registering online or by calling 1-800-621- 3362.
An expedited declaration is available when the scale and severity of damage are evident, even before complete damage assessments have been conducted, according to the governor’s office.