MARIETTA, S.C. (WCSC) - Saturday marks one year since Hurricane Helene hit South Carolina, the deadliest storm in the state in the last century, with 49 people losing their lives.At its peak, more than a million homes and businesses throughout the state were left in the dark, and it took days and weeks to restore power to many of them because of the widespread damage.State parks also took a hit, especially in the Upstate. Among them, Jones Gap State Park in Greenville County was closed the longest because of the level of damage...
MARIETTA, S.C. (WCSC) - Saturday marks one year since Hurricane Helene hit South Carolina, the deadliest storm in the state in the last century, with 49 people losing their lives.
At its peak, more than a million homes and businesses throughout the state were left in the dark, and it took days and weeks to restore power to many of them because of the widespread damage.
State parks also took a hit, especially in the Upstate. Among them, Jones Gap State Park in Greenville County was closed the longest because of the level of damage, with no visitors allowed in for several months.
That was where Gov. Henry McMaster joined other state leaders Friday to update South Carolinians on the progress the state has made in the year since Helene hit and what still remains.
“Like Hurricane Hazel in 1954 and Hurricane Hugo in 1989, I think we all will agree that Helene will be a storm that many South Carolinians will remember for years to come,” Secretary of Transportation Justin Powell said.
Three-quarters of all counties suffered significant damage, with nearly 5,000 homes damaged, more than 900 state roads closed, and enough debris picked up to fill the Empire State Building six times.
So far, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has provided more than $320 million in aid to homeowners and renters, and officials said the state has identified about $1.3 billion in repair work requiring FEMA Public Assistance.
The process for getting that reimbursed could still be years away.
The General Assembly also allocated nearly $300 million for various recovery and relief appropriations in this year’s budget.
State leaders said while Helene’s impact was devastating, South Carolina came out stronger on the other side.
“The preparation for and the response to these has become a routine that gets better and better and better every time,” McMaster said. “It’s just the working together, the thinking ahead of these state agencies and the people involved, and the volunteers that are involved with that is that something no other state can do.”
Officials also said 13 other states provided help to South Carolina in some fashion after the storm.
Emergency management leaders remind South Carolinians that the best time to prepare for the next disaster is right now, especially as they keep their eye out on storms brewing in the tropics.