ORANGEBURG COUNTY, S.C. — Orangeburg County and Bamberg County are still assessing damage in the area from Tropical Storm Helene.
Orangeburg has so far recorded 13 buildings with major damage, 15 with minor, 7 affected and 2 homes destroyed.
In addition to structural damage, there was a total of 155 road closures caused by downed trees, downed powerlines and flooding.
Billy Staley with Orangeburg County Emergency Services says the largest losses were some of the ones inside the home.
“The biggest impact to the citizens of the county, a lot of the citizens in the county, their power was out for extended periods of time," said Staley. "So, they lost a lot of food in their freezers and refrigerators.”
Residents who live in Orangeburg County who have SNAP benefits and lost their food due to power outages can report losses to the SC Department of Social Services to request a replacement of food purchased until October 26th.
Staley says there are efforts to try and extend similar benefits for Orangeburg County residents who do not have SNAP benefits.
“We’re working very aggressively trying to get the rest of the county in a position where those who don’t have SNAP can potentially get the benefits, but that’s a work in progress,” Staley said.
Over in Bamberg County, clean up effort are still underway. Officials say they won’t have a damage estimate for a while.
Alisha Moore is the Public Information Officer for Bamberg County. She says the county is actively working to clean up after Helene.
“Crews are still out assessing damages, removing trees and repairing," said Moore. "So, its going to be a lengthy process.”
Bamberg County had 266 trees uprooted during Helene and flooding to many streets. Moore says residents are still feeling the effects.
“We had county and city wide power outages, a lot of our residents were dealing with flooding once again," said Moore. "All of our local stores also were without power. That means gas stations and grocery stores and a lot of people to this day are still waiting on their power to be restored.”
Bamberg County is asking residents and businesses to report debris cleanup and damages. For those looking to dump debris, the landfills in the county are open and accepting trash and debris from residents.
To report damages in Orangeburg County, click here.
To report damages in Bamberg County, click here.