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Hurricane Helene left thousands of lowcountry residents in the dark and crews continued to repair lost power Sept. 30 in Jasper, Beaufort and Hampton

Bluffton Today

Hurricane Helene hit the Lowcountry Sept. 26, leaving thousands in the dark as well as a trail of debris, broken powerlines and downed trees.

High winds, driving rain and several confirmed tornadoes ripped through Beaufort, Jasper and Hampton counties as the storm continued through Sept. 27. Throughout both days of the hurricane, there had been numerous reports of downed trees and powerlines as well as reports in all three counties of trees which had fallen on homes.

The peak wind gusts reported by the National Weather Service for Jasper County was 58 miles per hour and 75mph in Beaufort County, followed by Hampton County with a gust of 54mph.

Rainfall amounts following Hurricane Helene were 5.44 inches in Beaufort County, 5.41 inches in Jasper County and 8.15 inches in Hampton County, according to National Weather Service reports.

Although the storm departed the Lowcountry that Friday afternoon, power was scarce in the three counties as the storm toppled entire powerlines and snapped power poles in half.

Throughout South Carolina, more than 425,000 S.C. Electric Cooperative customers were without power Sept. 27. Dominion Energy reported that more than 386,000 of its customers were without power.

As of Sept. 30, Dominion reported that restoration of 95 percent of the power in the affected areas would be estimated to be completed by Oct. 2 at 11 p.m. in Jasper County and Oct. 1 at 11 p.m. in Beaufort County with the exception of Daufuskie Island that did not have a timeline listed for restoration.

On Sept. 30, around 1 p.m., Palmetto Electric Cooperatives, who has service areas in Hampton, Beaufort and Jasper counties, reported there were 1,744 members without electricity. At the height of the storm on Sept. 27, the cooperative reported there had been approximately 19,000 members who were without electricity.

If you are a resident without power, the Town of Bluffton asks citizens to please ensure Dominion Energy is aware of your outage. Please ensure your outage is logged with Dominion Energy. Dominion Energy Key Contact Numbers:Dominion Energy SC Customer Service: 1-800-251-7234Downed/Sparking Lines: 1-888-333-4465Power Outage: 1-888-333-4465Gas Leaks: 1-800-815-0083

The National Weather Service in Charleston confirmed there were three tornadoes in Beaufort County, including two on Sept. 26. One was on Daufuskie Island which happened around 7:03 a.m. and touched down on Daufuskie Island near Driftwood Cottage Lane.

The tornado then continued northward across Daufuskie Island, snapping trees on Stoddard Court and on Martin Angel Lane near Captain Monroe Lane. It then crossed over the marsh between Daufuskie Island and Palmetto Bluff. The weather service said trees were snapped between Corley Street and Maritime Road near Old Moreland Road and also Amaranth Road at Moreland Road before dissipating just north of Big House Plantation Road.

The second confirmed tornado happened at 7:20 a.m. that developed near Headwaters Road which led to some minor and sporadic damage to small limbs and branches, the weather service said. As the tornado moved rapidly northward, it crossed the far western marshy area of the May River, then crossed May River Road, where its snapped and uprooted some trees, before it dissipated just to the north.

Another tornado was reported in Beaufort County the next day in Gardens Corner around 1:29 a.m., according to National Weather Service reports. The tornado began just southeast of Washington Farm Road, where a few trees were uprooted and snapped, then traveled toward the northwest and snapped and uprooted some trees along Stroban Road near Daniels Drive. As the tornado approached Highway 17, it uprooted and snapped a few trees roughly between Farm Road and Cherry Oak Mews before dissipating over a marshy area just north of Highway 17.

The Town of Bluffton is prioritizing permits needed for storm recovery at no cost to residents. Town staff members are prepared to assist homeowners who need emergency permits for repairs or to document damage from the storm. Chief Building Official Rob Currall stresses the importance of documenting damage to support future insurance claims, similar to a car insurance claim, in the event of repeated weather incidents with similar damage.

Bluffton offers basic guidelines for emergency permitting:

Permits Not Required: A permit is not required for debris removal or minor repairs to prevent further property damage or personal injury. Generally, replacing items with “like for like” due to storm damage does not require a permit. Minor water leak repairs that do not involve structural, mechanical, or electrical systems also do not require a permit.

No Charge for Emergency Permits: There is no fee for emergency permits.

Duration of Emergency Permitting: Emergency permitting is in effect for 30 business days. The Town may extend or rescind this period as needed.

Special Requirements for Certain Areas: If you live adjacent to a Highway Corridor (including Hwy. 46, 170, 278, or May River Road) or in the Bluffton Historic District, you are required to provide pre-disaster photos when applying for a permit. Be aware that specific rules, regulations, and codes apply to repairs in the Historic District.

Structural Damage: If your property has structural damage, please bring photographs of the damage. Each case will be assessed individually.

Important Contact Information:

For further information on processing repairs, please contact Town staff:Town of Bluffton Customer Service Center: 843-706-4522 (for permits, applications, etc.)Town of Bluffton Business License: Email: businesslicense@townofbluffton.com or call 843-706-4526.

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Expected to reach Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, the predicted incoming impacts for Hurricane Helene triggered a tropical storm watch for the Lowcountry.

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At 2:45 a.m. Friday, Port Royal’s Mark Sutton heard a bang as winds from Tropical Storm Helene roared through the town of 16,000 residents. Sutton jumped and looked out the window in time to see a 60-foot-tall pine tree crash down on his 12-by-24-foot utility shed.

“It got clobbered,” Sutton said of the structure, which is a total loss.

But Sutton might get something sweet out of his sour run-in with a tropical storm whose herculean winds turned the Beaufort River and Battery Creek angry and toppled trees by the dozens.

The big pine that crashed onto this property, it turns out, was filled with thousands of honey bees. And now, Mike Sutton, Mark’s twin brother, plans to contact a beekeeper to see if the bees — and their honey — can be saved.

“If they can get the queen, they can lure the rest to the box and relocate them and get the honey,” Mark Sutton said.

As of 1:30 p.m. Friday, thousands of bees continued to stick close to the toppled nest.

“I think I can see the honey comb in there,” Sutton said. “They are swarming all around it. I can see them out the window.”

It was too dark to see the swarm early Friday morning when the winds blew the tree down. “I didn’t know they were there until the next morning,” Sutton said.

Sutton has lived in the area all his life and through countless hurricanes and tropical storms.

But Helene, a storm that was downgraded Friday to a tropical storm, rattled him.

“It was actually pretty scary,” Sutton said.

Sutton estimates the wind was gusting more than 65 mph at the time.

The high winds also snapped a cherry tree in his backyard. “It snapped off up high, like severe wind would do,” he said.

He suspects the pine tree that came down had a weak spot because of a cavity inside where the honey bees were living and therefore “twisted like a noodle.”

Downed trees were reported across Port Royal and Beaufort because of high winds from the storm. The storm also damaged the waterfronts of both communities. A section of the boardwalk and Port Royal washed away. And several boats moored at the Beaufort marina ended up on the shore of the Beaufort River.

Sutton, a senior construction manager and architect for Beaufort County, is moving into a new house at the 1703 Edinburgh Ave. He had brought the utility shed, where he planned to store his tools, with him as part of the move. It wasn’t even in its final location before the tree squished it like a bug. “I waited too long,” he said.

Although utility building was destroyed, a leather couch and chair inside it went undamaged. And the tree missed his house by about 20 feet.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024, 2:32 PM.

The Island Packet

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Karl Puckett covers the city of Beaufort, town of Port Royal and other communities north of the Broad River for The Beaufort Gazette and Island Packet. The Minnesota native also has worked at newspapers in his home state, Alaska, Wisconsin and Montana.

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Expected to reach Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, the predicted incoming impacts for Hurricane Helene triggered a tropical storm watch for the Lowcountry.

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Hurricane Helene has left multiple businesses and state entities closed as it blasted through the state with high winds and heavy rain early Friday morning. But some places are open. Here are a few.

What’s open:

The Riverbanks Zoo will be closed during the day, but will reopen at 7 p.m. Friday for “Zoofari,” the Zoo’s 50th annual evening of “cocktails, cuisine and conservation.” The event is scheduled for 7-10:30 p.m. and Riverbanks will resume normal hours Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

All City of Columbia outdoor parks are open. There are a few downed trees in some of the parks, which are being cleared up, Justin Stevens, city of Columbia spokesperson wrote via email. All of the recreation buildings are closed, though.

Frankie’s Fun Park in Columbia posted on Facebook: “Don’t let the rain dampen your spirits! Head over to Frankie’s with your gang for unlimited fun.” The park normally opens at noon.

Columbiana Centre is open and has normal business hours, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday.

As of 12 p.m. Friday, here are some of the places closed.

Multiple state parks were affected by the storm and will be closed throughout the day and possibly longer for park rangers to assess damage, South Carolina State Park’s website said.

The list of closures are being updated as damage is assessed, but the following were closed as of Friday morning:

Trails in Caesars Head, Devils Fork, Keowee-Toxaway, Oconee and Table Rock are closed because of flooding and torrential rain.

Congaree National Park closed Thursday and will remain closed Friday, along with Longleaf and Bluff Campgrounds, the National Parks website said. Updates will be posted about closures through their website or social media.

The Richland County Recreation Commission closed all facilities Friday. All after-school programs were suspended Friday and all recreation commission athletic programs and leagues were cancelled for Friday as well. Commission outdoor programs and sporting leagues on fields will be suspended through Saturday, the recreation commission posted on Facebook.

LinRick Golf Course will be closed Friday, the commission posted on its Facebook page.

The Columbia Museum of Art, EdVenture Columbia Children’s museum and the South Carolina State museum are all closed Friday due to the weather.

The Nickelodeon theater in downtown Columbia posted on Instagram that they would be canceling Friday’s showtimes due to “hazardous road conditions,” caused by the storm.

Most Lexington Medical Urgent Care Centers are closed with the exception of except of the Northeast location, 3016 Longtown Commons Dr., and the Lexington location, 811 W Main St, Lexington.

All other urgent care locations will remain closed today because of power concerns, the organization posted via X. Check with the urgent care location ahead of visiting.

This is a developing story. Check back for details.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024, 1:33 PM.

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Expected to reach Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, the predicted incoming impacts for Hurricane Helene triggered a tropical storm watch for the Lowcountry.

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After a night of heavy, whistling winds and widespread power outages across the county, Hilton Head Island emerged from the storm largely unscathed. In fact, the island was as lively as ever.

Residents and visitors were out and about in large numbers in the Coligny Beach area, chatting over the noise of workers’ leaf blowers and trees rustling in the still-strong wind. Bicyclists navigated through paths and parking lots strewn with leaves and tree branches. Business owners launched cleanup efforts, preparing for the surge of customers that would come with the warm weekend.

Hilton Head dodged the brunt of overnight damage from Helene, which was downgraded to a tropical storm early Friday morning as it launched a deadly onslaught in Florida and Georgia. With most of its electric lines located underground, the island was safe from the on-and-off power outages that still plagued surrounding areas well into Friday morning.

And while the storm system already promised pricey rehabilitation efforts in northern Beaufort County — washing boats into backyards, damaging docks and flooding Beaufort’s waterfront park — damage appeared minimal on Hilton Head. With a broom and some determination, most evidence of the previous night’s conditions could be swept away by the morning’s end.

Crews from Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue responded to about 40 storm-related incidents between midnight and 9 a.m. Friday. The agency reported 35 downed trees, two of which damaged buildings, according to spokesperson Joheida Fister.

Dozens of walkers and bicyclists on Coligny Beach braved the continuing strong winds Friday morning, even with small children and dachshunds in tow. At times, gusts reached above 30 mph on the low-tide sands, which were littered with seaweed and other small pieces of debris.

Pittsburgh natives Ted and Andrea Swoger had vacationed in Hilton Head for about 20 years, but Helene was the first real storm they experienced on the island. They began their stay at the Seaside Villas at the beginning of the week and didn’t think once about cutting it short due to the weather.

“We walked the beach this morning like we always do, just to see what was happening,” Andrea Swoger said. “We didn’t have any bad experience.”

After their walk, the Swogers sat down for breakfast at Sweet Al’s Cafe, watching Hilton Head wake up around them.

“Looks like the island’s up early, cleaning up,” Andrea Swoger said with a smile.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024, 11:47 AM.

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Expected to reach Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, the predicted incoming impacts for Hurricane Helene triggered a tropical storm watch for the Lowcountry.

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Storm surge and high winds from Tropical Storm Helene hammered Port Royal’s iconic boardwalk and beached several boats in Beaufort early Friday morning.

“It’s crazy,” said Bay Street resident Mike Milano. “There’s four boats washed up in my backyard right now.” His home is on the Beaufort River.

The high winds and surf pushed boats around like toys and several were seen on the riverbank, presumably washed there from the mooring field attached to the Beaufort Marina. The rough water also heavily damaged the public landing dock at the marina, which appeared to have snapped in one place and was underwater. Waves lapped at the promenade near the marina where windswept boats were clustered in unfamiliar territory.

To the south in Port Royal, a section of the Henry Robinson Boardwalk on Battery Creek, one of the region’s most popular destinations, was washed away in the storm.

The section between the boat landing and covered pier took the brunt of the damage, Town Administrator Van Willis said.. At 9:30 a.m., the town was in the process of shutting down Sands Beach Road, which leads to the beach and the boardwalk, to the public. “We do not need the public at risk, period,” Willis said.

“The storm ended up being a lot worse than everybody anticipated and we’ve got significant trees down everywhere,” Willis added.

Beaufort City Manager Scott Marshall said late Friday morning that tree damage in the city was significant.

“We literally had dozens of trees down across power lines or across roads,” Marshall said.

The city was assessing the damage to the dock and the marina as well, he said. Marshall counted nine boats that had broken away in the high winds and ended up on the shore.

“It’s more significant I think than any of us had anticipated,” Marshall said of damage from the storm. “Our crews will be busy for a while.”

There were a few reports of large trees falling on houses and cars, including one in the Shell Point area of Port Royal and another at the Hampton Inn on Boundary Street in Beaufort, according to the Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department.

Milano, the Beaufort resident, walked along the shoreline at around 7 a.m. to survey the beached boats. He noticed that winds knocked down a brick wall near his home and ripped shingles and siding off of his house.

The storm system, which was a Category 4 Hurricane when it made landfall in Florida, had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached Beaufort County early Friday.

As the sun rose Friday morning, it revealed streets littered with tree branches and Spanish moss and traffic lights were dark. A Port Royal officer directed traffic at the busy intersection of Ladys Island Drive and Ribaut Road because the traffic lights were not working.

The sun was peeking through the gray clouds by late Friday morning but Beaufort County was expected to remain under a tropical storm warning until 1:15 p.m.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Communications Center said it had received dozens of reports of downed trees and power lines and advised residents to use caution when traveling.

Early Friday morning, Dominion Energy reported nearly 37,000 customers without power but electricity was being restored in some locations as the morning progressed. Palmetto Electric initially reported more than 20,000 customers without electricity.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024, 9:30 AM.