Wedding & Event Venue Near Newberry, SC.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Hurricane Helene has brought sweeping impacts to the Midlands, specifically to western areas like Newberry County.

As the hurricane moves north, it has brought heavy rains and gusty winds to South Carolina. Various tornado and flash flood warnings were issued by the National Weather Service Thursday afternoon, but the most substantial impacts of Helene are expected overnight into Friday morning.

WIS News 10′s Nick Neville visited Newberry County to examine storm impacts Thursday evening. He observed steady rain throughout the entire day and small ponds accumulating on the roads.

While travel should be avoided if at all possible, anyone in Newberry County or any other area affected by heavy rain who are forced to drive in storm conditions is advised to drive slowly to avoid hydroplaning and never drive through standing water.

WIS News 10 spoke with Cindy Moore, a Newberry County resident, about flooding.

“It’s pretty bad right now,” she said. “But it could get worse. Our yard floods sometimes, and we have had trouble with it running in one of our bathrooms before. And, sometimes the creek gets out down the hill and floods really bad.”

WIS News 10′s Billie Jean Shaw also spoke with Newberry Sheriff Lee Foster Thursday about potential storm impacts.

“We are ramping up our personnel status,” said Foster. “And we’re also having the equipment that we use in situations like this for search and rescue, we have that ready. We’re standing by, watching and waiting.”

Foster noted Newberry County’s terrain is primarily rolling hills, as it is located between the Midlands and the more mountainous terrain of the Upstate.

“Fortunately, we have very few places that have a dense population in a flood zone,” said Foster. “But, we do have that potential. The city of Newberry has a creek that runs through the middle that has over the years been prone to flood.”

Foster said the biggest concerns during Hurricane Helene were street flooding, drivers hydroplaning and striking trees and power poles, and downed tree limbs and trees.

In addition to effects in Newberry County, various road closures have been reported throughout the Midlands. Many schools and state offices have also announced schedule changes due to the storm.

Click here to learn more about Hurricane Helene in the Midlands.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Copyright 2024 WIS. All rights reserved.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Hurricane Helene has brought sweeping impacts to the Midlands, specifically to western areas like Newberry County.

As the hurricane moves north, it has brought heavy rains and gusty winds to South Carolina. Various tornado and flash flood warnings were issued by the National Weather Service Thursday afternoon, but the most substantial impacts of Helene are expected overnight into Friday morning.

WIS News 10′s Nick Neville visited Newberry County to examine storm impacts Thursday evening. He observed steady rain throughout the entire day and small ponds accumulating on the roads.

While travel should be avoided if at all possible, anyone in Newberry County or any other area affected by heavy rain who are forced to drive in storm conditions is advised to drive slowly to avoid hydroplaning and never drive through standing water.

WIS News 10 spoke with Cindy Moore, a Newberry County resident, about flooding.

“It’s pretty bad right now,” she said. “But it could get worse. Our yard floods sometimes, and we have had trouble with it running in one of our bathrooms before. And, sometimes the creek gets out down the hill and floods really bad.”

WIS News 10′s Billie Jean Shaw also spoke with Newberry Sheriff Lee Foster Thursday about potential storm impacts.

“We are ramping up our personnel status,” said Foster. “And we’re also having the equipment that we use in situations like this for search and rescue, we have that ready. We’re standing by, watching and waiting.”

Foster noted Newberry County’s terrain is primarily rolling hills, as it is located between the Midlands and the more mountainous terrain of the Upstate.

“Fortunately, we have very few places that have a dense population in a flood zone,” said Foster. “But, we do have that potential. The city of Newberry has a creek that runs through the middle that has over the years been prone to flood.”

Foster said the biggest concerns during Hurricane Helene were street flooding, drivers hydroplaning and striking trees and power poles, and downed tree limbs and trees.

In addition to effects in Newberry County, various road closures have been reported throughout the Midlands. Many schools and state offices have also announced schedule changes due to the storm.

Click here to learn more about Hurricane Helene in the Midlands.

Feel more informed, prepared, and connected with WIS. For more free content like this, subscribe to our email newsletter, and download our apps. Have feedback that can help us improve? Click here.

Copyright 2024 WIS. All rights reserved.

Hoping to continue serving as district one's Newberry school board representative for the 17th year, Ike Bledsoe will face first-time candidate, Travis Grimsley.

Credit: Thinkstock

COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the South Carolina General Election approaches, residents are gearing up to make informed choices ahead of the November local and state elections. In Newberry County, we heard from two candidates vying to represent District One on the county’s school board.

Incumbent Ike Bledsoe is seeking to extend his tenure, having already served over 15 years as a board member. “My desire was to make Newberry County as good as we could make it in public education,” Bledsoe said. With a background that includes 12 years as Whitmire’s mayor and 16 years on the school board, Bledsoe hopes his experience will resonate with voters.

“I had to find out when I got into public office that I’m only one vote. I’m one person, and I have to advocate for what I want in such a way that I can bring enough people with me to make it a policy,” he explained. “And that’s true when on the school board.”

Bledsoe will face Travis Grimsley, a first-time candidate who operates Grimsley Iron Works, a welding shop located on Highway 34 in Pomaria. Grimsley has been inspired to run by parents in the district who have expressed their support after hearing him speak at previous school board meetings.

“It’s like people overlook school boards so much because it’s ‘just’ a school board position. But that’s seven people in this county that collectively set policies that govern the way your children are introduced to their education,” Grimsley emphasized. “That’s pretty big!”

Both candidates share similar priorities, focusing on advocating for teachers, increasing teacher pay and retention, and improving safety measures within schools. However, their third priorities differ.

“I want to help in repairing the divide between elected members and parents, and some teachers,” Grimsley said. “A lot of teachers I talk to feel they can’t voice complaints without fearing retaliation. If they don’t feel comfortable bringing up an issue with the school board, that leads back to broken communication.”

In contrast, Bledsoe aims to prioritize fair funding for public education across South Carolina. “I think one of the threats I’ve seen right now—this has come to light because of a recent SC Supreme Court ruling—is the threat to public education from private schools. I hope advocates of public education realize how much of a threat that is,” he elaborated. “Once that foot gets in the door, the most vulnerable public educated children will be the first to lose.”

Election Day is set for November 5, and Newberry residents can click here to find where the most convenient polling place will be located.

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Residents in the rural county have been without power for more than six days, many say patience is key.

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — In the town of Newberry, things are finally getting back to normal as electricity has returned to shopping centers, gas stations, and traffic lights.

But for many of those in the rural portions of Newberry County, Wednesday was another night in the dark.

Alyssa Wedaman said her community, just outside of Pomaria in rural Newberry County, lost power Friday morning, just as the strongest winds from Helene were cutting across the midlands.

“It was very ominous and very scary to be out there at night. You know you couldn’t see. All you could hear was the popping and the snapping and not know which direction (the trees) were headed and how they were going to fall,” Wedaman said.

Wednesday evening, power lines lay across her driveway, and she had no idea when her power would be restored. Wedaman said the only thing to do was to be patient.

“I think they’re out there doing everything that they can, and we just have to trust in that and just wait it out,” Wedaman said.

Meanwhile, in the City of Newberry Wednesday, Sheriff Lee Foster and his team were busy at their headquarters, handing out bottled water and ration meals to anyone who needed them.

Foster said he had never seen a storm cause as much damage as Helene.

“I was astonished at the damage. I’d never really seen anything like this in Newberry County. I did work Hugo when it came in and there was a lot more building damages than Helene, but the tree damage and the electrical power grid damage, was just catastrophic here,” Foster said.

The Sheriff said most people have been understanding of the situation, but he understands that frustration can set in.

“When you’re without power for five days, frustrations, anxiety, it sets in and that’s natural. And we just ask people for patience because, I’m telling you, those line crews are working hard,” Foster said.

The Sheriff has once again placed Newberry County under a curfew until 6:00 a.m. Thursday, due to the large portions of the county still without power.

The curfew will remain in place each evening beginning at 10:00, until lifted by the Sheriff.

Representatives from Dominion Energy as well as the local Co-Ops in Newberry County promised residents that help was on the way and urged them to continue to be patient.

Click Here for the latest outage numbers for Newberry County.