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Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26, 2024. Weakened to a tropical depression, the massive storm moved across the Carolinas dumping rain. The catastrophic flooding caused by Helene has devastated much of western South Carolina and North Carolina.

SC officials give update on Helene cleanup with nearly 400,000 still in the dark

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster addresses the media in regards to cleanup efforts in the state
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South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster addresses the media in regards to cleanup efforts in the state

Cleanup efforts continue in South Carolina after Hurricane Helene ripped through the Palmetto State last week. State emergency management officers and Gov. Henry McMaster gave updates on the status of the state during a press conference Thursday afternoon.

A week after the storm hit, officials said the state's death toll has now jumped to 41. It's a grim record compared to Hurricane Hugo which resulted in 35 deaths in South Carolina. During the news conference, McMaster noted that having additional National Guard troops on the ground is helping with the recovery.

“We now have 1,002 men and women out there doing work for this storm and we're expecting more help,”

“They're all trained. We have some already from Florida as you know, we have some from Mississippi. These are guardsmen here from Mississippi, New York is sending some here in days in Michigan as well.”

On Monday, McMaster’s request for a federal disaster declaration was approved for several countries including Aiken, Cherokee and Pickens. Abbeville, Allendale, Richland and McCormick are expected to be added to that declaration as the state continues to complete a damage assessment. He also said more counties have been added to that list

“Last night, we received the approval to include Edgefield County, Laurens, and Marion in the major disaster declaration approval,” McMaster said. He said the state is going to request the federal government cover 100% of costs.

The storm also caused widespread power outages across the entire state but there has been a great deal of progress compared to last week. The storm initially left over a million people without power; that number has been reduced to 388,000 as of Thursday afternoon.

There has also been a great impact to roads, ranging from storm debris, fallen trees and flooded roads in many parts of the state. South Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Justin Powell said crews have been able to make progress on roads.

“We have 319 routes closed across the state,” Powell said “This is down from the 456 routes announced at the last briefing on Tuesday. Powerline entanglements remain the single largest obstacle to reopening roadways to combat that."

Kenny is a Maryland native who began his career in media as a sportswriter at Tuskegee University, covering SIAC sports working for the athletic department and as a sports correspondent for the Tuskegee Campus Digest. Following his time at Tuskegee, he was accepted to the NASCAR Diversity Internship Program as a Marketing Intern for The NASCAR Foundation in Daytona Beach, Florida in 2017.