DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD)–Helene is expected to bring high winds and possibly tornados but flooding in the Lowcountry is expected to be manageable. Some local agencies are deploying their water rescue teams to areas in the upstate that are expected to be hit hard. On Thursday, crews geared up for their 4-hour expedition to Anderson […]
DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD)–Helene is expected to bring high winds and possibly tornados but flooding in the Lowcountry is expected to be manageable. Some local agencies are deploying their water rescue teams to areas in the upstate that are expected to be hit hard.
On Thursday, crews geared up for their 4-hour expedition to Anderson County. Fire officials said Anderson County is expected to receive up to 10 inches of rain, which is unusual for the area.
“We were able to deploy our marine unit to the upstate to help them with their impending storm problems. They’re going to have this, which is significant for us because this is the first time this has happened, and our vision is to grow our team into something like this; we’ve been working on this team for the past six years,” said Fire chief Tres Atkinson for the Dorchester County fire rescue.
In Dorchester County, officials said Helene could bring wind gusts over 40 miles per hour and possibly tornadoes. It’s a threat they’re taking very seriously.
“We’re not getting a giant one, but they can still cause damage and then cause injury, so we need people to be aware and pay attention to that threat later today. It doesn’t mean you need to stop everything and hunker down and hide; we’re not in the eye of the hurricane,” said Thomas McNeal, the director of emergency management for Dorchester County.
While the impacts are expected to be manageable, they remind residents to stay alert and careful.
“The actions that they might need to take would be to seek shelter indoors, get into a closet, get into a bathroom, get away from windows, and avoid traveling in standing water.”
Storm Team 2 is closely monitoring the storm and will have updates on air, online, and our Storm Team 2 app.