S.C. governor checks out storm damage near Savannah River Site

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) visited Aiken County, home of the Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, on Sunday to view damage caused by Tropical Storm Helene, a local newspaper reported.

McMaster and top state transportation and law enforcement officials were expected to fly over the damaged areas around the county before they hosted their press conference at the Aiken Regional Airport, the Aiken Standard newspaper reported Sunday.

McMaster was also planning a similar aerial inspection of damage Sunday in Greenville, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

The Standard also reported McMaster is asking the administration of president Joe Biden (D) for an expedited disaster declaration that could yield quicker Federal Emergency Management Administration assistance for locals. Aiken was hit with wind gusts of more than 70 miles per hour on Friday, the newspaper said.

As of early Sunday afternoon, there were still more than 45,000 customers of Dominion Energy still without power in Aiken County, according to a company website. In nearby Allendale and Barnwell Counties there was a combined 3,100 Dominion customers still without power.