Updated: 3 dead from Tropical Storm Helene identified, Storm knocks out power for 92% of Aiken Electric customers (2024)

5:24 p.m. Update

Approximately 92% of Aiken Electric Cooperative customers are without power.

Many substations were knocked out and transmission lines have suffered extensive damage, the company said in a news release.

“There is still no estimated time of full restoration,” CEO Gary Stooksbury said, “Our crews are assessing damage and working to clear hazards, such as downed lines and trees, before making repairs.”
Aiken Electric urges its customers to make accommodations for their comfort and well-being.

Out of state crews have been dispatched.

5:06 p.m. Update

Three of the four people that died due to Tropical Storm Helene have been identified.

Seventy-eight year-old Jerry Savage and his wife, 74 year-old Marcia, were killed Sept. 26 when a tree fell through their Beech Island house according to a news release from Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables.

Michael Roukous, 29, of Dexter, N.Y., was killed Sept. 27 when a tree fell through the roof of a bed and breakfast he was renting in Beech Island, Ables continued.

A 70 year-old man was killed Sept. 27 after a tree crashed through his home on Metts Park Circle in Aiken, Ables said.

The man’s identity will be released after his family is notified, Ables added.

All four will be autopsied Oct. 2 in Newberry.

2:10 p.m. update

The Savannah River Site barricades are closed to incoming traffic while the site's roads are being cleared of trees and other debris. Employees should check srs.gov or call 803-725-SITE for updates.

1:20 p.m. update

Four Aiken County residents died as Tropical Storm Helene moved through Sept. 26-27.

Four storm-related deaths have been reported so far, Aiken County Coroner Darryl Ables said.

1:06 p.m. update

Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt has instituted a curfew for Aiken County.

The curfew will begin at 7:30 p.m. and continue until 7:30 a.m. Sept. 28.

“This act is being use as a deterrence for anyone who would want to take advantage of our citizens who have been greatly impacted by the storm, Hunt said in a news release. “We have a substantial interest in the safety and security of our communities.”

The sheriff's office encourages everyone to avoid areas that have been impacted by the storm and if possible stay off the roadways so essential services and responders can continue helping those in the greatest needs.

Violators and looters will be arrested.

Essential workers and first responders are exempt.

8 a.m. update

Thousands of Aiken County residents are without power after high winds from Tropical Storm Helene moved through during the night of Sept. 26.

Over 56,000 Dominion Energy customers in Aiken County are without power according to an outage map. The company serves over 62,000 customers and reports 137 incidents causing outages.

Restoration times are unknown.

Outage information for Aiken Electric Cooperative was not immediately available as of 7:40 a.m. Sept. 27.

Major tree damage was reported throughout the county, with some main roads blocked, an Aiken County Emergency Management spokesman said.

Whiskey Road was blocked near the Green Boundary Club and further south near its intersection with Boardman Road.

Getting the main roads— Columbia Highway, Edgefield Highway, the Aiken bypass and Wire Road— and routes to emergency services reopened is the priority right now, an emergency management spokesman said.

He added there is a debris team coming in to help clear the roadways as quickly as possible.

No Aiken County roads have closed due to flooding according to a South Carolina Department of Transportation map. However, Garrett and Pleasant roads in Edgefield County have been closed due to flooding.

The Aiken Department of Public Safety said residents should continue to remain off the roads.

"Due to the continuing weather from hurricane Helene we are encouraging everyone to stay off the roadways," the department said in a Facebook post. "There are trees, power lines, flooded roads, and other debris in the roadway that are causing hazards all over the city. We are aware of power outages in multiple locations. Please stay safe and off the roadways!"

Several government offices are closed including Aiken County, the city of Aiken and North Augusta.

Sept. 27 is an e-learning day for Aiken County schools students.

The campuses of USC Aiken and Aiken Technical College are closed.

Hurricane Helene's eye is currently moving northward across Georgia. The storm made landfall as a category 4 hurricane around 11:10 p.m. in Florida's Big Bend region but weakened to a tropical storm as it moved north.

The high winds are expected to subside as morning becomes afternoon on Sept. 27.