Heads of state provide update on Helene’s recovery; The death toll rises to 41

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCSC) – Gov. Henry McMaster and state leaders provide an overview of the state’s efforts to recover from Hurricane Helene Thursday afternoon.

That briefing is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. at the state’s emergency operations center in West Columbia.

Shortly before the briefing began, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety confirmed that the number of confirmed deaths from Hurricane Helene in the Palmetto State had increased to 41.

Spartanburg County recorded the highest number of deaths at eight, while Greenville listed seven.

Here’s a full breakdown:

McMaster said crews are making good progress restoring power. As of Thursday afternoon, just over 388,000 electricity customers were still without power, compared to a peak outage of 1.3 million last Friday.

Kim Stinson, director of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, said 23 counties reported a total of more than 3,500 damaged homes. Of those, 196 are considered destroyed and more than 1,100 have severe damage, he said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

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