The Anderson County Library became a community hub on Monday after the storm, offering Wi-Fi and charging stations for citizens, most of whom have been without electricity for days.

Belton First Baptist Church on Tuesday provided a community meal in the wake of the damage from the remnants of Hurricane Helene damage. The church also provided the meal Sunday afternoon.

With much of Belton and the surrounding area still without electricity, including grocery stores, the church offered free meals with members volunteering and providing the food.

Also on Tuesday, council approved more than $950,000 in accommodation tax funds for 30 organizations working to promote and support tourism in the county. The Anderson Convention and Visitors Bureau received the most funding with $138,000 going for various projects.

“Power, water, ice, fuel and lodging…..all of the necessary elements to host a successful event,” said Visit Anderson Director Neil Paul. “However, these elements are far more critical to our community during this time. Ensuring that these resources are available to those that need them locally were a high priority to us in our call that led to moving the event. “

Meanwhile 137 roads in the county are closed, though 23 crews have teamed up from Anderson County, Horry County, Clemson University’s Forestry department and other local community partners.

Another eight roads (or parts of these roads) are closed indefinitely do to damage. These roads are: Coachman Drive, Colorado Lane, Grady Hall Road, Gray Drive, Harbin Road, Old Bell Road, Pettigrew Drive and Simpson Road.

Welfare Baptist Church Pastor Dr. Ankoma Anderson had an epiphany on Saturday after the remnants of the hurricane left most of his congregation and community in the dark with no electricity.

“I thought, even without electricity, we still have power in the church,” said Anderson. “Instead of just having church, we were going to be the church.”

It has been more than two days after Tropical Storm Helene slammed into Anderson County, and it is taking a coordinated effort to put all the pieces back in place. And many places will be open Monday to help.

The first job at hand is finding all the broken pieces.  At least 80,000 residences in the county are still without electricity. There have been more than 600 official reports of downed trees (and hundreds more likely yet to be reported), 

Trees lying across power lines remain among the greatest hazards, and many reports of motorists driving across downed live wires have officials concerned. 

As of Sunday afternoon, 150 roads remain closed from the storm, which has had a far greater impact on the entire county than any other in history. 

With the overwhelming majority of Anderson County residents still without power, many will be faced with the task of looking for a hot Sunday meal for their families.

At least one church, Welfare Baptist Church, is offering exactly that Sunday from noon to 3 p.m. at their home 2176 Bolt Dr, Belton (just outside Anderson city limits) to the entire community.

With 82 percent of Anderson still without power, the National Guard is being deployed here to help with the cleanup and managing the disaster.

Along the Saluda River, some residents in Piedmont, Pelzer and Powdersville are being evacuated due to rising water levels.

Meanwhile, long lines as the gas stations/convenience stores are the rule of the day, as record traffic levels of those not wanting to stay home or seeking food crowd the roadways. Ice is almost nowhere to be found.

Hurricane Helene blew into Anderson County overnight, leaving two dead, more than half the county without electricity and reports flooding and of more than 100 trees downed.

In what looks like the most substantial weather-related disaster in Anderson County history, electric repair crews must wait until winds are below 35 mph to deploy. One official said the hope is to roll out for repairs beginning at noon.

Meanwhile blocked roads are hampering cleanup efforts, but South Carolina Department of Transportation crews are already at work .

Heavy rainfall from the incoming tropic storm is already on display in Anderson County. At least 3.5 inches of rain fell overnight and has already caused some problems.

Overnight, more than 20 trees are down due to heavy rainfall and wind and more than 200 are without electricity in Anderson County.

It’s not too late to register to vote in Anderson County’s November general election, but time is growing short. Only those registered 30 days before the Nov. 5 election will be eligible to vote.

To register, or see a sample of your ballot, visit SCVotes.gov., or visit the Anderson County Voter Registration and Elections Office at 301 North Main Street in Anderson. Both require a valid S.C. Driver’s License or Department of Motor Vehicles ID. Those who have moved must first update their new residence address with the DMV.

In anticipation of potentially severe weather from the tropical storm, all five Anderson School Districts will move to e-Learning on Friday.

Anderson School Dist. 5 has also cancelled all after-school activities for Thursday.

Story developing….

The Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce officially accepted the resignation of Chief Executive Officer Pam Christopher in a meeting closed to the public and the media Monday.

In an email to Chamber members on Tuesday, a board member representative wrote:

“In August, the Board began the process of undertaking an audit. In the last few weeks, the Chamber has worked with our attorneys to engage experienced non-profit sector auditors to fully understand the situation and to prioritize the reinstatement of the Chamber’s nonprofit status.

Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, announced on Tuesday 300 jobs will be added at a new 215,000 square-foot facility in Pelzer near the company’s existing switchgear and busbar manufacturing on S.C. 8 near I-85.

Anderson City Council discussed potential plans for significant upgrades at Cater’s Lake on Monday during a work session before the regular council meeting.

The estimated cost of the renovations, which would include walking trails, landscaping, environmentally friendly islands in the pond for the ducks/geese, a covered bridge architectural structure to improve visuals, additional areas for picnic tables and grassy play areas, is currently $5.8 million.

AIM is running out of staples, making it more challenging to feed the 55 families who daily county on the food pantry.

The annual Trick or Treat So Others Can Eat food drive is under way to help restock the shelves to feed those in our community who need a little extra help.

Anderson City Council will vote on paving priorities as part of Monday’s meeting at 6 p.m. in council chambers.

At 5 p.m., council will host a work session to discuss upgrades at Cater’s Lake Park. In June, council approved hiring Edifice General Contractors to perform pre-construction services for a fee of $30,000.

Full agenda here.

Today at 8:44 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, the sun will cross the celestial equator, or an imaginary line that projects Earth's equator into space. At this exact moment, the Northern and Southern hemispheres will receive an equal amount of sunshine, and the length of day and night will be approximately equal around the world — hence the term "equinox," which is derived from the Latin phrase meaning "equal night."

Crescent 36, Ninety Six 16

Powdersville 40, Broome 21

BHP 37, Palmetto 14

Greenwood 25, T.L. Hanna 21

Not playing this week: Westside, Pendleton