Power Outages After Wednesday Storms in Oconee County

Severe winds swept across the Carolinas on Wednesday, causing widespread damage and power outages. A thunderstorm warning had been issued due to wind gusts of up to 50 mph. Notable damage included a fallen tree at Seneca Gardens Apartments and four broken transmission-line poles in Oconee, which affected nearly 9,000 Blue Ridge Electric and over 6,000 Duke Energy customers. Despite the extensive damage, repair crews made significant progress. As of late Wednesday night, about 7,400 Blue Ridge Electric customers were still without power, but it was expected to be restored by early this morning.