Live updates: Power may not return to Upstate until Oct. 4

GREENVILLE — As the Upstate continues to recover from the damage caused by Tropical Storm Helene, widespread power outages pose the biggest obstacle.

Duke Energy notified customers around 1 p.m. on September 29 that it could take up to five additional days to restore power, leaving some residents without power for a week.

“Our teams are working around the clock to restore power to your area following the devastating damage caused by Hélène,” reads a text message to customers. We expect power to be restored to the majority of customers by Friday evening, with the exception of areas inaccessible or unable to receive service.

Duke and electric cooperatives serving customers across the state explained that the process of restoring power is slow due to debris that must first be cleared. When trees have knocked down power lines, utility companies must first secure all the lines before clearance crews can remove the trees and other debris. Only then can utility companies return to repair power lines and, in some locations, install new poles.

Duke spokesperson Ryan Mosier told the Post and Courier that almost every part of their infrastructure suffered damage in one way or another, including at least one substation.

“The damage caused by Hélène is historic,” Mosier said. “People who have spent 30 years at Duke Energy have never seen anything like this.”

As of 1 p.m. on September 29, just over 880,000 customers were without power statewide, up from 1.2 million just after Helen hit. The upstate and most of South Carolina’s western edge, from Aiken County northward, were hardest hit.

Journalists from the Post and Courier are following the aftermath of the storm. See something we should know? Send us an email.

Governor McMaster to Visit Aiken and Greenville Counties

1:25 p.m. Governor Henry McMaster will visit two areas of the state hardest hit by Tropical Storm Helene.

He is expected to be in Aiken County at 2:30 p.m., followed by a visit to Greenville County at 4:30 p.m.

South Carolina Department of Transportation Secretary Justin Powell and state Department of Law Enforcement Chief Mark Keel will travel with the governor.

They are currently conducting aerial damage assessments in both areas and will then meet with the media to discuss the state’s current response.

—Sam R. Hall