HOLLY HILL, S.C. — Tropical Storm Idalia left its mark in Holly Hill with a massive tree toppling over, just missing Holly Hill United Methodist Church by feet.
"We saw some scary things last night with trees and wind and some flood damage, but as a whole, everyone can recover from what we saw," said Holly Hill United Methodist Church Pastor Reverend John Elmore
Elmore said he credits the church's escape from damage to a higher power, as the mighty tree narrowly missed the church and nearby residences.
"To say how lucky we are it landed in the street, we didn't hit a car, we didn't take out power to places, we didn't hurt either structure from our church standpoint. It is a great deal," Elmore said.
The tree fell while Elmore stood ankle-deep in water inside the church's basement.
"We just took so much rain so fast," Elmore said.
Less than 24 hours later, he walked the church grounds, witnessing the community coming together to rebuild.
"It's this idea of coming together and fortunately, our city did a great job," Elmore said.
Amid the cleanup effort ahead of Sunday's service, Elmore acknowledged that this incident might influence his upcoming sermon.
"We're talking about love, but I get this sneaky feeling that how we love each other and that comes into play in missions," Elmore said. "It's probably going to be a new twist as I stand beside this."
As for the gaping hole in the ground, Elmore said they plan to replace the tree with something smaller, like a dogwood tree.
Also in Holly Hill, Holly Hill-Roberts Middle School and Elloree Elementary School will remain on E-learning Friday, while the remainder of Orangeburg County School District returns in person.