Category: Weather

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 […]

The School District of Oconee County will be closed on Tuesday, October 1st. No students or employees will report to buildings, now will it be an eLearning Day. Superintendent Dr. Michael Thorsland: “After assessing the status of power outages and road conditions this morning, it is clear that we will not be in a place that school is possible for […]

Pickens County Council extended its state of emergency for 30 days due to the ongoing recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene. County Administrator Ken Roper addressed the Council during a special called meeting on Monday… Despite no major injuries or deaths, the storm caused significant damage, with over 3,100 emergency calls received in just one day. The county has activated its […]

The OJRSA continues to manage wastewater treatment and storage following recent flooding. Due to potential contamination, residents and pets should avoid contact with local creeks and waterbodies. Customers should report any wastewater overflows to the OJRSA. The Coneross Creek Water Reclamation Facility is operating with minor issues, and stored flow is being treated gradually. The Duck Pond Pump Station has […]