Category: Weather

PICKENS, South Carolina — Approximately 6,500 Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative members had their power restored Wednesday. As of Wednesday night, over 46,000 members have had their power restored since Tropical Storm Helene ripped through our region. At the time of this release, 17,608 members were without power, representing approximately 24 percent of our membership. Further field assessments today confirmed 710 broken poles. That figure was at 625 […]

Pilots from Oconee, Anderson, and Pickens counties are organizing relief flights to deliver supplies to heavily impacted areas of Western North Carolina. Judson Minyard from the Oconee Regional Airport invites the public to drop off supplies at 365 Airport Road, Seneca, between 8 AM and 6 PM over the next few days. Due to weight restrictions, he said water cannot […]

The Golden Corner Food Pantry will be providing food and water to the public at two locations in Oconee County. Items will be distributed through Friday, October 4th. Times vary by location. • Mountain Rest Community Club, 120 Verner Mill Road, Mountain Rest, SC, Tuesday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. • Salem Fire Department Parking Lot, 115 […]

At a Tuesday press conference, Pickens County provided updates on storm relief efforts, including details about its non-emergency call center. Water and MREs are being distributed daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Clemson University (141 Pendleton Rd.), Dacusville Fire Department (2509 Earls Bridge Rd.), and Pickens County Building Maintenance Complex (1507 Walhalla Hwy). A pet-friendly shelter is open […]

Duke Energy contractors worked Monday night and Tuesday to restore power to the Easley-Central Water District’s Water Treatment Facility in Norris, S.C., so that nearly 8,000 customers near the towns of Central and Norris can continue to receive water. Hurricane Helene’s fury damaged the power supply to the plant. The crew, from Canada, restored eight power poles and 15 spans […]

PICKENS, South Carolina — Approximately 4,900 Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative members had their power restored Tuesday. As of Tuesday night, over 40,000 members have had their power restored since Tropical Storm Helene ripped through our region. This leaves 24,151 members without power at the time of this release. That figure represents approximately 33 percent of our membership. Further field assessments today confirmed 625 broken poles. […]

PICKENS, South Carolina — All Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative substations are now online and energized. On Friday, 13 substations were offline due to Tropical Storm Helene’s damage to Duke Energy’s transmission lines. The Crossroads community in Pickens County was the final substation to be restored today. More than 2,000 members have already had their power restored this morning. We are […]

The School District of Oconee County will be closed Wednesday, October 2nd No students will report to school buildings This will not be an eLearning Day School will resume Thursday, October 3rd on a normal schedule All Chromebooks and chargers should be returned to school with students Items to note: Some bus routes/pick up times may have to be adjusted; […]

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Fraudsters take advantage when a disaster strikes. The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs (SCDCA) urges everyone to stay on guard as our state recovers from Hurricane Helene. Scammers will reach out by phone, email, text, social media and even in-person in their efforts to take advantage of you. Bottom line to avoid a scam during this […]