On top of coronavirus, SC tornado damage now officially a 2nd emergency
Already grappling with a growing number of coronavirus cases, South Carolina now officially has a second disaster.
On Wednesday, Gov. Henry McMaster signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in response to the damage wrought by heavy winds and a series of tornadoes early on Monday.
The order allows the state to redirect resources to deal with the aftermath of the deadly storm, which killed nine as it swept across the state early Monday morning and at one point left nearly 300,000 people across the state without power.
The National Weather Service confirmed 11 tornadoes hit the ground on Monday, the S.C. Emergency Management Division announced Wednesday. The most intense of the tornadoes produced wind speeds of up to 140 mph. A couple in Orangeburg County were killed when their home was lifted off the ground by the twister.
Five other deaths were reported in rural Hampton County, and one each was recorded in Colleton and Oconee counties.
Officials are still assessing the damage done by the storm. Once the state is able to put a price tag on the destruction, McMaster has said he will seek a federal disaster declaration that will unlock federal support for recovery efforts.
Even two days after the storm, 16,000 people remained without power, and 236 displaced residents have been placed in hotels by the American Red Cross.
But the governor was quick to point out that the new order will not detract from the state’s ongoing response to the coronavirus. All executive orders issued in response to that crisis, including one requiring S.C. residents to stay at home when not performing essential work, remain in effect, the governor’s office announced in a press release.
On Monday, McMaster told media assembled for a coronavirus update that the state now faces a “new disaster.” McMaster viewed damage in the Seneca area from a National Guard helicopter earlier in the day, near where a 77-year-old security guard was killed when high winds caused the structure he was in to collapse.
This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 3:24 PM.
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