GREENVILLE, SC – Severe storms passed through the area Wednesday, leaving a path of damage from Anderson County to Spartanburg County.
Thousands of people were also left without power and many remained in the dark early Thursday morning. As of 6:45 a.m., Duke Energy said about 5,700 customers are without electricity in the Upstate and western North Carolina. Most of them – 5,438 customers – are in Greenville County where the Simpsonville community was especially hard hit.
The Red Cross opened a shelter in Simpsonville for families affected by the storms.
The shelter is located at the Reedy Fork Baptist Church at 3115 Fork Shoals Road.
There were several reports of flooding, downed trees and power lines.
Some trees were down near Highway 76, near Denver Downs, according to Taylor Jones with Anderson County Emergency Management.
A mobile home park was damaged on West Georgia Road.
West Georgia Road was also closed between I-385 and Rocky Creek Road due to multiple gas leaks and downed power lines.
Simpsonville police and firefighters asked everyone to help emergency crews by staying at home and off the roads.
Greenville County schools located south of I-85 in the tornado warning zone sheltered in place Wednesday afternoon. Spokesperson Beth Brotherton said no storm damage at any Greenville County school would interfere with normal operations Thursday.
Brotherton said schools were “fully operational” on Thursday.
“We are rerouting buses to avoid road closures as needed. At this time there are no schools without power. Schools will work with families whose house or commute is affected by the storm. Families are urged to use caution and contact their school administrator with questions or concerns,” Brotherton said.
She said several windows on the back side of Woodmont High School near the gym were broken. The windows were temporarily repaired, but the gym would be closed until further inspection out of an abundance of caution. Brotherton said there was also significant damage to two greenhouses, as well as the tennis courts and baseball field at the school.
Roads also became a mess Wednesday evening. The S.C. Department of Transportation said there were about 40 wrecks between Anderson, Greenville, and Spartanburg.
