Columbia-Richland firefighters met the challenge that was Hurricane Helene head on when the massive storm rolled through Richland County.
During the roughly 36 hours that Helene impacted our area on September 26 and 27, fire crews were dispatched to more than 350 calls for service.
That total included:
o 30 calls for collapsed structures
o 49 calls for motor vehicle accidents
o 10 calls for structure fires
o 69 calls for power lines arcing or fallen power lines
Heavy rains from Helene brought prolonged periods of flash flooding to Columbia and Richland County on September 26. This caused several incidents where citizens needed to be rescued after their vehicles became stuck in flood waters.
Damage from falling trees were the biggest impact from the storm on September 27 after high winds from the hurricane moved through central South Carolina.
Meanwhile our members were not only at work aiding citizens here in Richland County but also ones in other parts of the Palmetto State.
In advance of the hurricane’s landfall members of SC Task Force 5 deployed to Oconee County to help in communities that were already experiencing significant challenges due to the weather.
Our firefighters on the task force spent four days in the upstate performing search and rescue missions in flooded areas. They also assisted with clearing downed trees that had fallen on area homes and roads.
