Sustaining Way is dedicated to keeping our community educated on all things hurricane recovery. In this article, we will provide links to resources that assist those who are still food, water, electricity and shelter insecure. We also want to provide timely information on safety protocols and ordinances that pertain to Greenville and the surrounding areas. Lastly, we want to discuss how to practice sustainability while working together to recover and rehabilitate from this storm.
Time Sensitive Information
Drinking Water Safety
Please refer to Greenville Water for the most up-to-date information on water quality and testing in Greenville County.
Information according to the DHEC: If flood waters infiltrate residential private water systems such as wells and springs, it is likely to contaminate and make the water unsafe to drink. Users of these systems should assume such and avoid consumption. Drinking contaminated water can cause serious illnesses. Water needs to be tested and disinfected before it is available for use again. More information on testing can be found here.
Public water can also become contaminated due to flooding events. The increased amount of water entering watersheds causes sedimentation (cloudiness) that makes water more difficult for treatment plants to purify. It is important to check with your local water provider to ensure that your water is safe before consuming it.
Some areas have been under a water boil advisory. For water boiling protocol, or for more information on water and food safety following flooding events, please refer to the SCDHEC website.
Burn Ban and Conserving Emergency Personnel Resources
The Forestry Commission has issued a “Burn Ban” for the Greenville area to ensure that firefighters, law enforcement officials, other emergency service personnel and their associated resources are not being diverted away from flood recovery.
The counties under the ban are those with infrastructure most impacted by Hurricane Helene: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York.
The ban prohibits all outdoor burning, including yard debris in unincorporated areas and includes burning for forestry, wildlife or agricultural purposes. The ban does not include fires used for the preparation of food or fires in appropriate enclosures, such as portable outdoor fireplaces, chimneys, or permanent fire pits constructed of stone, masonry, metal or other noncombustible material that conforms with all applicable South Carolina fire codes.
*UPDATE* The State Forester’s Burning Ban has been lifted for #GreenvilleCounty at 6 a.m. on 10/7/24. State law requires citizens to notify the Forestry Commission before burning outdoors. In most cases, the law applies to burning leaves, limbs and branches that people clean up from their yards. The notification law does not apply within town or city limits. Find every county’s toll-free notification number on the SCFC home page or at https://www.scfc.gov/protection/fire-burning/how-to-notify/.
Driving
Avoid driving if possible to allow for roads to be cleared and to conserve gas.
If you have to drive, make sure to follow safety guidelines for driving in less than ideal conditions. For instance, when traffic lights are out/have no power they should instead be treated like a four way stop. Refresh your knowledge on traffic laws, drive slowly, and stay focused.
Recovery Resources
Helene Resource List
Our Team at Sustaining Way has compiled a Helene Resource List with information on where to access shelter, food, water, and electricity/charging if you are in upstate South Carolina. If you are in need, there are many local organizations working very hard to provide relief at this time.
Additionally, SC 2-1-1 information and referral is a free, confidential service of United Way Association of South Carolina that connects individuals to health and human services. Anyone can access this service 24 hours a day, seven days a week by dialing the three-digit number, 2-1-1, from a landline or mobile phone, searching the website and using the online chat at www.SC211.org, or using the SC 2-1-1 app.
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross has many shelter options available. View the link below for a map of shelter locations and information on what personal items to bring if you have them available such as bedding, clothing, medications, etc. Locations near the Greenville area include: Glenwood Baptist Church in Easley, Hillcrest High School in Simpsonville, and the GB Hodges Center in Spartanburg. Find an Open Shelter Here.
The Red Cross can also help with your return home by providing cleaning supplies, meal delivery, and a caseworker for repair funding, or they can help in locating transitional housing if household damage is too substantial.
Federal and State Disaster Relief
Emergency declarations have been issued in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia which will direct federal resources towards recovery efforts. FEMA has begun deploying personnel for assistance. Refer to this link within the FEMA website for more information on South Carolina disaster recovery and to apply for assistance.
SC Government has announced that members of Aiken, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Cherokee, Greenville, Greenwood, Lexington, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Saluda, and Spartanburg counties may eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) funds. FEMA will assist in identifying these eligible individuals. Contact the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce for more information.
Tracking Outages and Closures
A live outage tracker for the United States is available at https://poweroutage.us/
Make sure to check your personal provider’s website as well for power restoration predictions.
Duke Power allows you to sign up to receive notifications: https://www.duke-energy.com/outages/alerts
Updated information about school closures for Greenville County and surrounding areas can be found here: https://www.wyff4.com/article/south-carolina-school-updates-helene/62446064.
Sustainable Hurricane Recovery
Be mindful of consumption
Do not hoard or overuse scarce resources. This leads to a concept known as “The Tragedy of the Commons,” when people buy up all of a resource out of fear that the resource will be depleted. Panic about the scarcity of resources ensues, and others are incentivized to do the same, leaving the resource depleted to a level that is harmful to the community at large.
Reduce waste
Do not throw out salvageable items. Although throwing away everything that got wet seems tempting, many items can still be recovered after they have been fully dried out and disinfected. If you no longer want these items please find places to donate them instead. One person’s trash is truly another’s treasure, especially when so many people are in need right now. Flood Resilience Specialist Mary Long-Dhona has an interesting article on this.
Here is a resource with information on cleaning up after a flood. It explains the steps, helpful cleaning products, as well as necessary protective equipment and safety procedures.
Also, consider composting plant based foods that have gone bad during a power outage rather than throwing them away where they ultimately will end up in a landfill. Landfills contribute to methane and carbon emissions, as well as raise the risk of polluting surrounding water and air. Sustaining Way hosts composting on site, so you can always drop off spoiled plant based foods at Annie’s House during volunteer garden hours!
Advocate
Write to Congress about floodplain and watershed restoration. This makes the community more resilient and adept to withstand harsh conditions when natural disasters strike. Urbanization makes us more vulnerable to flooding as it reduces the land’s ability to absorb rainfall. Cities can divert these issues by implementing green infrastructure such as permeable pavement, green roofs, and rain gardens.
Sustaining Way stands in solidarity with those affected by Hurricane Helene and is dedicated to giving back to the community. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our team if there is anything we can do to assist you in recovering from this devastating event. You can simply email hello@sustainingway.com with any questions or concerns, and you can also visit our Hurricane Helene Resource page for more information.