York County deputies to assist in flood recovery

The York County Sheriff’s Office will send a crew of officers to assist in the ongoing recovery efforts in Richland County after historic flooding ravaged the Midlands and Lowcountry.

Seven officers from York County will head down to Columbia on Friday evening to work a 12-hour shift before coming back Saturday, according to Trent Faris, a sheriff’s spokesman who will also be going to assist in public information duties. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott on Tuesday asked York County Sheriff Bruce Bryant if he could send resources to assist in the recovery.

Faris said the seven York County deputies will assist in working patrol shifts.

“We’ll be answering to whatever Richland County asks us to do,” he said. “They’ve been working around the clock since this whole thing started. Whenever we can give those officers a break so they can get a warm meal and some rest and be sharp for the next day, we’ll do whatever we can to help them out.”

At least 19 people have died in South Carolina since the rain began falling last weekend, and residents and first responders are bracing for the possibility of more flooding in the days to come, according to the Associated Press. About 800 people were in two-dozen shelters around the state, and Gov. Nikki Haley said she expects that number to rise.

This story was originally published October 8, 2015 at 11:48 AM with the headline "York County deputies to assist in flood recovery."