The Top Choice for Hardwood, Carpet, and Tile Flooring in Bluffton

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.

READ MORE

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.

Expand All

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.

READ MORE

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.

Expand All

During a statewide Helene update at 2 p.m. Friday, Gov. Henry McMaster said there were possibly more power outages from Helene than any other storm in recent history. He urged residents to exercise patience with getting power restored.

From the early morning, when about 1.3 million electric customers in South Carolina were without power over 50,000 lacked electricity in Beaufort County, nearly 38,000 Dominion Energy and Palmetto Electric customers were without power.

More than 10,000 Palmetto Electric customers were still without power, according to Hunter. The majority of powerless customers, around 6,300, live in Jasper County.

About 1,600 of their Beaufort County customers are dealing with outages. Additional crews from Alabama are coming to assist the energy cooperative to restore power, Hunter said.

About 30,000 Dominion Energy customers in Beaufort County and 5,000 customers in Jasper County were still without power, according to Fischer.

Crews are continuing to make good process restoring power as the day goes on, Fischer said.

A surge of customers had restored power, dropping the percentage without from 47% to 36%. About 38,200 Beaufort County Dominion Energy customers didn’t have electricity at 11 a.m., and over 3,450 Palmetto Electric customers hadn’t had power restored.

Cars were seen lining up for gas around at the Parker’s convenience store on S.C 170 near Callawassie Drive, which was open for business while widespread power outages shut down most gas stations north of the Broad River.

The line inside stretched to the back of the building. Many patrons were emergency service workers who had come for their fix of morning coffee.

About 43,000 Dominion Energy customers in Beaufort County and 7,000 in Jasper County were without power according to Paul Fischer, the energy company’s spokesperson.

Fischer said the outages were a result of widespread damage from downed trees and severe winds overnight. The energy company worked throughout the night to restore power in areas where crews could work safely, and they will continue to work around the clock to get power restored, he said.

There was not a precise timeline for when power would be restored for customers, Fischer said, but that with declining wind speeds and the benefit of daylight Friday morning, crews would be able to work more safely to address outages.

Tray Hunter, Palmetto Electric’s vice president of marketing and public relations, said at 7 a.m. Friday that the vast majority of outages were tied to fallen trees on transmission lines.

Once transmission is back up, Hunter said the 21,000 outages would drop down to 5,000 or 6,000 customers without power. Those remaining customers are located in rural areas.

Widespread outages began at about 1 a.m. Friday and escalated up until 5 a.m. due to high winds.

While crews were out, Hunter said they were cutting down trees in roads just to get through to affected areas. Between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m., crews from Palmetto Electric and other electric teams had to stop responding to outages because of dangerous high winds.

At about 7:10 a.m., Hunter said crews were packing up to go out again.

“Once it’s light, we can see what we’re actually dealing with,” Hunter said.

He was hesitant to say when power would be restored, because once transmission comes back up, there can still be trees on lines that feed between homes and substations. It could be 30 minutes, once the crews get out. In some areas it could be the afternoon.

Hunter said he is hopeful everyone’s electricity is back on Friday. However, power restoration could come late Friday or Saturday.

Hilton Head Island fared well, with only three customer outages as of 7:15 a.m., Hunter said, adding that it’s due to the island’s underground power lines.

The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office alerted that they had received dozens of reports of downed trees and power lines in the county.

Weather forecasters said that by sunrise in South Carolina, Helene’s effects would slow, including a reduction in strong winds and scattered rain. While thousands are without power in the county, residents will have to brave an 84-degree high temperature. Beaufort County does not have shelters for those without electricity.

To report outages, call the following numbers:

For downed trees and power lines call the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office’s non-emergency dispatch line at 843-524-2777.

The Town of Port Royal was without power as Helene battered the Lowcountry with high winds, leaving streets and neighborhoods in the dark.

Between Dominion Energy and Palmetto Electric Cooperative, 116,091 customers are tracked in Beaufort County. Dominion Energy was reported nearly 37,000 customers were without power and Palmetto Electric had 20,000 in need of electricity, according to PowerOutage.us.

Residents in some portions of the town, along Ribaut Road, the main north-south road through the area, were without power.

A tropical storm warning was in effect until 7 p.m. Friday, the National Weather Service said. A tornado watch remained in effect until 8 a.m., and a high surf advisory will remain in place until 8 p.m.

On Thursday evening, the National Weather Service placed Beaufort County under a tornado watch until 8 a.m. Friday, shortly before a tornado warning expired at 9:15 p.m. Thursday. A tornado watch means twisters are possible in and near the watch area, which typically covers multiple counties or states.

Helene made landfall at 11:10 p.m. Thursday about 10 miles west-southwest of Perry, Florida, as Category 4 hurricane 140-mph winds and continued to track north.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024, 6:41 AM.

Follow more of our reporting on Stories shared from The Island Packet’s Instagram account

South Carolina

September 30, 2024 1:34 PM

See all stories

READ MORE

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.

Expand All

Local schools, government services and businesses rapidly announced closures and delays Thursday before Hurricane Helene was posed to batter Florida’s Big Bend region, residual bringing the threat of high winds and tornadoes to the Hilton Head Island area. Meteorologists predict the worst of the storm will hit Beaufort County beginning Thursday evening and overnight Friday.

This list of closures and delays will be constantly updated as the week progresses.

Beaufort County School District: All Beaufort County public school facilities will be closed Friday and classes will be held online, the district announced just before noon on Thursday. After-school activities Thursday were canceled, but activities set for Friday afternoon would continue as scheduled.

Technical College of the Lowcountry: In-person classes canceled after 5 p.m. Thursday and all day Friday; normal operations resuming 8 a.m. Monday

University of South Carolina Beaufort: Classes after 5 p.m. Thursday moved to e-learning; all classes and university offices will “operate normally” Friday.

Mathnasium of Bluffton: Closed Thursday.

May River Montessori School: Closed Friday.

Lowcountry Day Preschool: Closing at 2 p.m. Thursday; closed Friday.

Ivybrook Academy: Closed Friday.

Kids College: Closing at 2:30 p.m. Thursday; closed Friday.

The Children’s Center: Closed Friday.

Limitless Pediatric Solutions: Closed Friday.

SliderBar Bluffton: Closing at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Beaufort County Auditor’s Bluffton office: Closed Friday.

Beaufort County offices: Closed Friday.

Beaufort County Convenience Centers: Closed Friday; normal operations expected Saturday.

Beaufort Magistrate Court: Facilities open Friday; all Friday preliminary hearings rescheduled for Oct. 11.

Bluffton Waste Management: Lowcountry Hauling and WM Brunswick Hauling services working Thursday and Friday; route delays expected Friday.

Palmetto Breeze Transit: Friday routes delayed by three hours; all other services “will operate as scheduled.”

City of Hardeeville offices: Closed Friday.

Low Country Shrimp and Knits: Closing at 5 p.m. Thursday

To add your own business or other closure information to this list, email us at newsroom@islandpacket.com.

This story was originally published September 26, 2024, 2:35 PM.

READ MORE

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.

Expand All

During its 6 p.m. Thursday briefing for Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 storm, the National Weather Service’s Charleston Office reinforced that tornadoes were the greatest threat for the Lowcountry and they upped overnight wind-gust speeds.

The service placed Beaufort County under a tornado watch until 8 a.m. Friday, shortly before a tornado warning expired at 9:15 p.m. Thursday. A tornado watch means twisters are possible in and near the watch area, which typically covers multiple counties or states.

Beaufort County was under the following advisories:

At 8:42 p.m. a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was 5 miles northeast of Wassaw Island, in Georgia, moving north at 40 mph, the service said.

Even before Helene had made landfall, which was expected in Florida’s Big Bend region later Thursday, South Carolina had already been under four tornado warnings throughout the day. A warning was issued in Beaufort County at 7 a.m. Thursday.

“We expect more to come tonight,” NWS Meteorologist Ron Morales said during the briefing.

Because Helene is a fast-moving system, the storm doesn’t feel friction of the ground, which brings in stronger winds, Morales said. Especially after 8 p.m., after the next rain band develops out of Florida, up into Georgia and then moves northward into South Carolina later tonight, winds will get stronger. At the peak, Beaufort could get 60 mph wind gusts around 3 a.m. Friday.

At 6:20 p.m., Helene intensified into a Category 4 hurricane. The storm was 120 miles west of Tampa, Florida, moving toward the north-northeast near 23 mph, with sustained wind speeds of 130 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center advisory.

Helene will weaken after making landfall and moving inland, the center said; however, the storm’s fast, forward speed will bring strong, damaging winds that will penetrate well inland across the Southeast.

Morales urged South Carolina residents to report real-time and in-depth flooding and storm damage from Helene. Any damage can be reported to the National Weather Service at inws.ncep.noaa.gov/report/.

The threat of several tornadoes spawning in the Lowcountry on Thursday in Hurricane Helene’s wake has increased, according to the NWS’ Charleston Office.

During the service’s noon weather briefing, Morales said forecasters’ confidence had grown that Southeast South Carolina would get scattered tornadoes, with the majority blowing through Thursday evening. The service is also concerned that earlier-predicted land wind and wind gusts speeds will be higher.

At 2:25 p.m. Thursday, Helene strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane and was 315 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, packing winds near 120 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Because Helene is rapidly intensifying, it can be “difficult to deal with,” Morales said, because, while the impacts don’t last long, the storm can feel significant.

“We’re not flying by the seat of our pants, we’re trying to fine tune things with maybe not the greatest (computer model) guidance,” Morales said. “Tornadoes’ impacts are getting to be one of our top concerns.”

A tornado outbreak is considered between 4 and 6 twisters, Morales said. With Hurricane Debby, which hit Beaufort County as a tropical storm in August, there were eight confirmed tornadoes in South Carolina, according to the NWS. Two of those twisters were in Beaufort — one on Lady’s Island and the other on Saint Helena — and both clocked in as an EF-0.

Morales said predicted tornado counts with Helene will eclipse those that touched down during Debby.

“We’re expecting tornado warnings coming out later tonight and, again, those nighttime tornadoes (are dangerous), particularly as people sleeping don’t get the warning,” Morales said.

Before the NWS’ noon briefing, the service reported a tornado “likely” had touched down in Beaufort County early Thursday. The NWS issued a tornado warning at 7 a.m. Thursday and it was lifted at 7:45 p.m.

Beaufort County was under a tornado watch until 1:15 a.m Friday.

National Weather Service Meteorologist Emily McGraw said they had seen some damage like snapped trees and debris early. However, whether a tornado caused the damage is not confirmed, McGraw said. At about 7:03 a.m., tree damage was seen on Daufuskie Island, said National Weather Service Meteorologist Emily McGraw, and at 7:15 a.m., trees were snapped and minor debris shown around Palmetto Bluff in Bluffton.

Morales said tornadoes during these types of storm systems are typically quick-hitting, short-lived and not very strong. However, some twisters have defied the norm and led to significant damage.

There are no tornado sirens in Beaufort County, so it is imperative to have access to at least one alert system.

Helene, which was 255 miles southwest of Tampa, Florida, at 10 a.m. Thursday morning and packing 105 mph wind speeds, is a “very” large storm and is rapidly intensifying, possibly hitting Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday as a Category 4 hurricane, Morales said.

“Hopefully that doesn’t happen, but it’s already strong enough and the wind field is extending way out to the east,” Morales said.

Helene has about a 400-mile-wide wind field, larger than 90% of hurricanes, which may end up breaking the last-known record for storm size, Morales said.

In Beaufort County, winds gusts could whip up to 60 mph near the coast, according to the NWS’ latest briefing. More inland, the maximum gust speed is 54 mph.

Morales said that as the storm system progresses, the service would continue to assess whether it needed to increase wind-speed maximums for the Lowcountry.

The county could get up to 4 inches of rain, but Morales said the service is not expecting flooding to be a “massive issue.”

As quickly as the storm effects blow in Thursday is as fast as they’ll leave the area. By Friday sunrise, wind and rain should slow in Beaufort County, which is indicative of Helene rapidly northwestward movement late Thursday and into Friday, Morales said.

This story was originally published September 26, 2024, 1:31 PM.

The Island Packet

-843-593-7313

Sarah Haselhorst, a St. Louis native, writes about climate issues along South Carolina’s coast. Her work is produced with financial support from Journalism Funding Partners. Previously, Sarah spent time reporting in Jackson, Mississippi; Cincinnati, Ohio; and mid-Missouri.