IN SPORTS: Thomas Sumter, Robert E. Lee preparing for important region games B1 Put all Storm Debris on curb for PICK-UP by FEMA Contractors. FRIDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2016
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Clarendon power outages decrease 2,800 county customers in the dark BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com About 2,800 customers were without electricity on Thursday afternoon in Clarendon County as utility crews continued to restore power throughout the area. The total outage number in the county decreased from about 7,000 without electricity on Wednesday and 16,900 on Monday. As of 3:30 p.m. Thursday, electricity outages for the three utility companies and co-ops serving Clarendon County were:
• 1,893 members of Santee Electric Co-op.; • 715 Duke Energy customers; and • 191 Black River Electric Co-op. customers. “We are now in the very difficult stages,” said Brenda Chase, manager of marketing and government relations for Black River Electric Co-op. “In rural areas, there may be utility poles and lines in swamps or knocked out by large trees,” she said. “Restoring these is a time-consuming effort.” Chase estimated all of Black River’s customers to have power back on by the
weekend but said it would be difficult to place an exact day or time. Estimated restoration time for Duke Energy is 11:45 p.m. Sunday, said Theo Lane, the company’s district manager of government and community relations. Lane said estimated restoration time means the company’s last customer will receive power by that time. The Town of Turbeville received electricity on Wednesday evening, he said. “Now it’s down to what we call access outages,” Lane said. “This is very tedious and dangerous work in some places with linemen standing in water.” All five of the Santee Electric Co-op substations in the
county were operating on Thursday, said Adrel Langley, the cooperative’s manager of community relations. Langley said crews are restoring power in the county as efficiently as possible, but she could not give an estimated restoration time.
DAMAGE ASSESSMENT Clarendon County is not among South Carolina counties declared as a disaster area by President Obama on Monday. Federal disaster aid is not available for individual residents in the county at this time, according to a news release from Gov. Nikki Haley’s office. On Oct. 10, Haley formally requested a federal disaster
declaration for 13 counties, according to the release. Clarendon, Sumter and Lee counties were not on that list. As emergency managers assess the damage caused by Hurricane Matthew, the Federal Emergency Management Agency could determine that additional counties are eligible to receive federal assistance for individual residents. Clarendon County Administrator David Epperson said county personnel have conducted damage assessments to homes and other buildings in the county affected by the natural disaster. The data will be presented
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Cooking up a storm ‘Operation Thanks’ feeds hurricane workers BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com BISHOPVILLE — Like much of the Midlands, Lee County and Bishopville are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, especially the loss of electrical power for so many residents. Ann Marie Estes, a stay-at-home mom in Bishopville, decided to do something to show the community’s appreciation to the army of workers from the police and fire departments and electrical companies who have toiled to keep the community safe and to restore power. “It was a historic storm,” she said. “I wanted them to ESTES know they are appreciated.” With help from people such as Dianna Rollins, of the Lee County Chamber of Commerce, and State Farm Agent Margaret Copeland, “Operation Thanks” became a reality Thursday as a long table of food was laid out in the Bishopville Fire House on Church Street. Many local residents came up with many dishes of homemade food, and companies such as Piggly Wiggly, KFC and Get Down Pound Cake made donations, she said. Among the hot dogs, fried chicken and coleslaw were lots of cookies, brownies and other delicious morsels. “A lot of the food was done by resi-
dents,” she said. Estes said about 60 of the workers had come through to eat by about noon, but most of the food was being taken out to the workers who were toiling to put the electrical system back together. “We are trying to make something good out of a bad situation,” she said. Lee County Fire Chief Mike Bedenbaugh said Estes’ idea quickly found a lot of support in the community. “It just kind of ballooned with people who wanted to help,” he said. Bedenbaugh said Lee County fared better in the storm than many counties, such as those along the coast and in the Pee Dee, but all the fallen trees and downed power lines still required an army of workers to clear. Bedenbaugh estimated the number of outside workers might have been nearly 500. As the storm hit, Bedenbaugh said local police and firefighters helped the South Carolina Department of Transportation keep the roads clear. “When it became too dangerous, they got off the roads,” he said. “As they cleared trees, trees were falling behind them. We stayed out there.” Immediately after the storm, people without power were frustrated when JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM they didn’t see the work being done to reA delicious lunch, with many homemade treats, was put together by Bishopville store electricity. residents and businesses to show their appreciation to first responders and power “That is because the companies that
company workers who have toiled many hours to keep residents safe and restore SEE STORM, PAGE A6 power in the Lee County community.
Car club helps distribute portable gas generators for sale BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com When employees at Liquid Combustion Technology in Travelers Rest near Greenville heard about price gouging during and after Hurricane Matthew, the company decided to get as many of its portable gas generators out to South Carolina residents as quickly as possible, said employee Josh Holley. Holley, a member of the Hooligans Car Club, called as many club members as he could and quickly found enough volunteers to go out and sell two truckloads of the generators at cost, Holley said. He said they sold the generators up and down the coast for four days before coming inland to Sumter and Manning. KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM “We had a hard time in Charleston,” he said. Wade Hodge and Josh Holley prepare to load a generator onto a truck “There are so many people trying to make next to the Thomas Sumter Fire Station on Tuesday afternoon. The money down there.” men are part of the Hooligans Car Club and volunteered to help sell Tuesday and Wednesday, Holley and severthe generators at cost for Liquid Combustion Technology. al other Hooligans members, with a little
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help from 13-year-old Lawrence Manning Academy student Jonathan Griffith, were selling the 3,000-watt generators out of a truck next to the Thomas Sumter Fire Station on U.S. 521. “Everybody in the community has been unbelievable,” Holley said. “Everyone from the police, the mayor, and especially the fire department. Chief (Karl) Ford has watched out for us and made sure we were fed and had a place to shower.” Wednesday afternoon, the truckload Holley was selling was down to about two dozen generators after starting out with about 400, he said. “We’ll be here until they are sold,” he said. “If there is still a need we will turn around and come back.” Holley said that after they leave Sumter, anyone interested can look for the other truck near Lane’s Shopping Center on S.C. 260 south of Manning. Generators sell for $300, and they take cash and credit.
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