As of Wednesday afternoon, Tropical Storm Debby has fortunately proven to be not quite the historic weather monster that forecasters and Southeastern U.S. residents feared, but the ongoing storm has already left a catastrophic impact on the S.C. Lowcountry and she isn't done yet.
Debby attacked the Florida Panhandle's Big Bend region as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday morning, drenched Florida and Georgia, before hugging the southeast coast and making an expected second landfall in South Carolina as atropical storm
In her wake, governors in the three states, and U.S. President Joe Biden, declared Debby a disaster for millions living and working in the Southeast.
While nearby Jasper County appeared to bear the brunt of the storm in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Hampton County is facing its own challenges with some road sections not just flooded but completely washed away and destroyed, forcing county officials to declare an Aug. 6 Civil Emergency.
Hampton County faces Tropical Storm Debby flooding, transportation routes blocked for thousands
Susanne Peeples, H.C. Emergency Management Director, said Wednesday morning that with 10.5 inches of rain to date in Hampton (Monday and Tuesday totaled), and 11-plus in southern areas of the county, flooding has been a widespread problem.
"This is not quite an historic event — we didn't get what we got in 2015 and 2019 — but I would definitely call it catastrophic," said Peeples.
As of Wednesday afternoon there were no reports of major home damage, injuries or lives lost in Hampton County, said Peeples, but the major problem was road closures due to flooding or damage. By 7 p.m. Tuesday, Peeples' office reported that there were at least 40 roads and byways in Hampton County that were damaged, under water or closed to traffic.
Since Hampton County is what many refer to as a "bedroom community," with many of its roughly 18,500 residents working outside the county, these closures are causing a major challenge for area residents who work along the coast. Even more heavily damaged roads in Jasper County lie between many county residents and their jobs in Beaufort County or elsewhere in the coastal region.
"The biggest challenges we are having right now are the people who work out of town being able to get back and forth to work, and getting county roads safe for school buses to travel."
Major damage and shutdowns have been reported on Old Salkehatchie Highway, Grays Highway (U.S. 278) and Old Sheldon Church Road — all major routes to the coastal areas through Jasper or Beaufort County.
Public schools remain closed until Friday
Hampton County's public school students were set to begin the 2024-25 school year with a full day on Monday, but Debby forced the district to schedule a half-day start and then cancel school Tuesday and Wednesday.
On Wednesday afternoon, the H.C. School District issued a statement saying it would remain closed on Thursday and plan for a Friday restart:
"Due to road conditions and the forecast predictions of additional rain, HCSD will be closed on Thursday, Aug. 8. Our first concern is the safety of our staff and students. On Friday, we will return to school. Please be aware that the buses may not be able to travel all county roads on Friday due to road conditions. Varnville Elementary School students will not return to school this week, due to a fire in part of the building. Additional information will be sent to Varnville families as soon as it is available. Please stay safe and continue to monitor your email, the district’s website, Parent Square, and social media channels for the latest communications, as well as local media outlets for weather conditions."
The school restart has been made more complicated by a Wednesday morning fire at Varnville Elementary School that is still under investigation by the Varnville Fire Department and state officials.
The fire at the front portion of the school was reported around 8:47 p.m., said Varnville Fire Chief Bryan Adams, who added that it is possible the fire could be related to the stormy weather but the cause remains under investigation by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division (SLED) arson team.
"The fire was contained in the office area but smoke has filled the school," said Dr. Ron Wilcox, H.C. School District Superintendent Wednesday afternoon. "We will have to close the school long enough to clean the smoke off everything and have a safe environment for both students and employees. The cleaning crews are on the way to begin cleaning. This may take a few days or more depending on how fast the cleaning goes.
"The Varnville students will attend the recently vacated Estill Elementary school located at 635 fourth Street in Estill," Wilcox added. "We will work diligently to get students back to Varnville Elementary. Since we must make the Estill school ready for them, the Varnville students will not attend school this week but will start Monday. All the school district employees sympathize with Varnville students and employees and have pitched in to help them relocate temporarily."
What's ahead? Latest Hampton County updates
Peeples said that the forecast for Thursday is expected to bring 20-30 mph winds and by Friday another 2-5 inches of rain to an already soaked county, adding that the H.C. E.M.D. had distributed more than 2,000 sand bags to area residents.
Meanwhile, Hampton County government offices, the Town of Yemassee, and other local government offices and many local businesses are expected to resume normal operating hours Thursday morning.
County recycling centers are expected to reopen on Saturday.
