COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster will give an update on the state's response to the extensive damage and disruption in service caused by Tropical Storm Helene.
McMaster is set to speak at the state's emergency operation center at 2:30 p.m. WLTX will provide live coverage on-air and here on WLTX.com and our streaming app, WLTX+.
Helene has left 29 people dead in South Carolina, according to information provided Monday by the state's Department of Public Safety.
Helene dumped heavy rains on the state Thursday then turned around in the overnight hours the next day and brought high winds. The winds tore down thousands of trees and many powerlines throughout the state, damaging homes, blocking roads, and knocking out power to over a million people.
At it's peak, almost 1.4 million homes and businesses were without power, according to PowerOutage.US, a website that totals up numbers from utility companies nationwide. As of Monday afternoon, about 721,000 customers were still without electricity.
Several Midlands school districts remain closed to in-person learning, with a handful already announcing they'll be closed against Tuesday.
The South Carolina Emergency Management Division said they've created the Helene information line at the following number: 1-866-246-0133. People who have questions about the storm can call operators with the State's Public Information Phone System 24 hours a day. The number will be available for as long as needed.
State officials said people can ask questions about the state's response or any safety precautions they should take.
