Columbia, SC (WLTX) -- Six years ago a tornado caused widespread destruction in the Orangeburg County town of Branchville.
The Ides of March tornado outbreak in 2008 is a storm residents of the town will never forget.
Last year in an interview with News 19, Branchville Mayor Glenn Miller said, "It was almost like a war zone."
Miller never expected the damage to be so bad in his town.
"I can clearly remember because it was my birthday. We were out in the yard and just walking around with friends. There was no warning," he said.
On March 15th of 2008, an EF-3 tornado ripped through the town causing $1.7 million in damage. Branchville's auditorium, town hall, and a couple of businesses were also leveled.
"It was just a mess here," said Miller.
After the storm, the town's only grocery store Ott's and a restaurant called The Churn rebuilt. But some didn't.
"Duke's Farm Supply, it was havoc," he said.
Now, Branchville is almost back to normal, but Mayor Miller believes it was the strength of the town's citizens that have brought back it's spirit.
"If you look down the main streets of Branchville, it's looking good and it's going to look even better," Miller said. "We're just Branchvillers and we are survivors."
According to the National Weather Service, the tornado outbreak on March 15th, 2008 produced numerous minor tornadoes, along with severe strong tornadoes.
The storms produced an estimated $40 million in damage, but luckily there were no deaths reported in South Carolina.
