Death toll hits 41, making Helene one of SC’s deadliest storms, surpassing Hugo in ’89
At least 41 people have died across South Carolina after Hurricane Helene — one of the largest storms in decades — devastated the Southeastern United States, causing widespread flooding, damaging roads and homes and leaving more than 1 million without power.
The death toll has eclipsed the 19 deaths caused by the state’s historic flooding in 2015, and the the 35 deaths caused by Hurricane Hugo in 1989, Gov. Henry McMaster said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Across the region, at least 200 people died as a result of the storm, the Associated Press and CNN reported. The storm caused massive damage in the Southeast when it came ashore early Friday morning as a category 3 hurricane.
Helene already ranks in the top 10 deadliest storms in mainland United States history, according to USA Today. The number of victims could continue to grow as cleanup and rescue operations continue. The Carolinas, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee have all reported deaths from Helene.
Here’s what we know about the deaths in South Carolina.
Aiken County
The Aiken County Coroner’s Office is investigating seven deaths related to the storm.
Just after 11:30 a.m. Friday, an elderly couple were found dead in their home in the 300 block of Church Road in Beech Island after a tree crashed through the roof of their home and landed on the couple, according to the coroner’s office. They were identified as 78-year-old Jerry Savage and his wife, 74-year-old Marcia Savage.
A New York resident, 29-year-old Michael Roukous, was found dead just before 10 a.m. Friday. A tree fell through the roof of a bed and breakfast home he was renting on Casnettie Road in Beech Island.
Joseph Gullen, a 70-year-old man, was found dead around 9 a.m. Friday after a tree had fallen through the roof of his Metts Park Circle home in Aiken. He was publicly identified Sunday, after his family had been notified by the coroner’s office.
Autopsies will be performed on all of the Aiken County victims Wednesday at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, according to the coroner’s office.
Two more people died in incidents related to Helene, the coroner’s office announced on Monday. A North Augusta man, identified as 75-year-old David Welch, died from a medical emergency on Friday, and a Gloverville woman identified as 78-year-old Joyce Barfield died in a house fire on Sunday. The fire might have been started by a candle in a bedroom, according to the coroner’s office.
On Wednesday, the coroner’s office said that 66-year-old Rhonda Gabriel died Tuesday at Aiken Regional Medical Center, and the respiratory death was storm-related.
Anderson County
Four storm-related deaths were reported in Anderson County.
One victim was identified as 55-year-old Christine Lynn Schmeiske. Due to high winds and heavy rain, a tree fell on her house in the 400 block of Whitner Street. According to the Anderson County Coroner’s Office, she had been trapped under heavy debris early Friday morning.
A second woman in Anderson County also died from a tree falling on her home. She was identified as 54-year-old Sandy Lee Fisher.
A third person, identified as 83-year-old Bobby Jean Foster of Belton, died in a traffic accident just before 2 a.m. Saturday. Foster died from blunt force trauma when two cars collided head-on on Main Street in Pelzer.
Foster was the sole occupant of his car and was pronounced dead on the scene. The two people in the other car were taken a hospital and treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
The coroner has since said this was storm-related due to road obstacles and damage in the area, including a large fallen tree and downed power lines.
Another person, identified as 60-year-old Karen Denise McCall of Anderson, was swept away in her car by flooding while on her way to pick up a family member.
McCall’s family reported her missing to the Anderson Police Department on Friday morning during the height of the storm, the coroner’s office said. She last spoke to her family around 7:30 a.m.
Police tracked her phone to the area near Harbin Road in Anderson, and authorities initiated a search, but were unable to find McCall because of severe flooding. The Anderson County Sheriff’s Office used drones to find McCall’s car around 2:30 p.m. Her body was recovered from the car via helicopter. An investigation is ongoing.
Chester County
Two people have died in Chester County, according the Chester County Coroner’s Office. The office said both deaths were related to complications from loss of power, but declined to give further details.
Chesterfield County
One person was confirmed to have died in Chesterfield County, according to local reports.
Greenville County
At least six people died in Greenville County on Friday, the Greenville County Coroner’s Office said.
A woman was found trapped in her home on Cedar Avenue with a tree on top of her around 7 a.m. She was pronounced dead and identified as 56-year-old Learnda Lee Palmer.
A man was struck and killed by a fallen tree outside of his home on the 800 block of Chestnut Ridge Road in Marietta around 9:45 a.m. He was identified as 40-year-old Aaron Marshall Lance.
Around 9:30 a.m. the coroner’s office was called to the 2000 block of Cleveland Street Ext in Greenville for a report of a fallen tree on a home. A man, identified as 59-year-old Charles Daly Dean, was found dead inside.
Just before 10 a.m. another man was struck and killed by a tree branch outside of his home on the 1300 block of Ridge Road in Greenville. He was identified as 68-year-old Moreno Arnez Maddox.
A man on a motorcycle also died after swerving to miss a downed tree and colliding with another vehicle. He was identified as 47-year-old James Walter Parrish on Greenville.
A sixth person also died in a storm-related incident on Sunday. A Greenville woman, identified as 54-year-old Ceresa P. Butler, was killed in a house fire caused by candles lit because of the power outages caused by the storm.
Greenwood County
The Greenwood County Coroner’s Office confirmed at least one death in Greenwood County.
Greenwood County Coroner Sonny Cox told The State on Saturday that his office was not releasing the name of the deceased but that a tree had come down on his house. The individual was pronounced dead at the scene, Cox said.
Laurens County
Three people have died in Laurens County, according to reports.
Newberry County
Two people died as a result of a traffic-related incident caused by Helene.
The Newberry County Coroner’s Office identified them as 49-year-old Robert Wise and 48-year-old Valencia Jones Wise of Chapin. They died after their car collided with a tree on Chapman Road near Little Mountain around 9:30 a.m. on Friday.
The Newberry County Coroner’s Office and the South Carolina Highway Patrol are still investigating the incident.
“Our condolences go out to the family and friends of Mr. and Mrs. Wise,” the coroner’s office said in a release.
Richland County
A Columbia woman was confirmed to have died on Friday when a tree fell on her camper, the Richland County Coroner’s Office said. She was identified as 77-year-old Neva A. Rouse.
Saluda County
Two volunteer firefighters were killed in Saluda County after a tree fell on their fire truck on Beulah Road around 6:30 a.m. Friday, according to the South Carolina Highway Patrol. They were identified as 53-year-old Chad Satcher and 18-year-old Landon Cale Bodie, both of Leesville.
Originally, the Saluda County Coroner’s Office said there were two other Saluda County residents who were killed at their homes, but on Wednesday the office updated that information, saying that only one of those other deaths was storm related.
One of those deaths involved an individual who experienced a medical episode during the storm, but the death was not caused by Helene, the coroner’s office said.
The other death involved a Saluda County resident who died due to a fallen tree, according to the coroner’s office.
“Our deepest condolences are with their families during this difficult time,” the county said in its news release.
Spartanburg County
Six people were reported killed in Spartanburg County.
Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger told local reporters that one death was the result of a tree falling on a campsite in Chesnee, identified as 41-year-old Alvaro Burgos-Guitierrez.
In Landrum, two people on a golf cart were killed when a tree fell on them. They were identified as 64-year-old Christopher Mark Owens and 70-year-old Derrill Eugene “Gene” Pitts.
Another man in Landrum died after his car was swept away by water. He was identified as 88-year-old Ralph Selle of Columbus, North Carolina. According to local reports, his car was completely submerged on Highway 14 near Earles Fort Road on Friday due to flooding.
A tree fell on the home of 34-year-old Anna Maria Smith of Inman on Rainbow Circle while she was inside, killing her.
The Spartanburg coroner was also called to a home on Parris Bridge Road in Chesnee, to find a man dead. He was identified as 68-year-old Jimmy Lee Wall. There were extremely high level of carbon monoxide recorded in the home. Officials found that there had been a running generator inside the residence powering at least one appliance.
York County
A Clover woman, identified as 66-year-old Victoria Leger, died after a truck hit her Friday morning while she and others were cutting a fallen tree in western York County. Leger died Saturday at a hospital in Gaston County, N.C., according to the York County Coroner’s Office. Three people with her also were hurt when the truck hit them.
Editor’s note: Gov. Henry McMaster announced Thursday there have been 41 storm-related deaths in South Carolina due to Hurricane Helene. Details on when and where the latest four deaths occurred were not immediately available.
This story was originally published September 28, 2024 at 11:42 AM with the headline "Death toll hits 41, making Helene one of SC’s deadliest storms, surpassing Hugo in ’89."
CORRECTION: South Carolina officials say 35 people have been killed in the state as a result of Hurricane Helene. The officials updated the number after the Saluda County Coroner’s Office determined that a death that had been blamed on Helene should not have been.
