As the Upstate returns to normalcy post Tropical Storm Helene, here are a few updates on internet and power restoration, park and school openings, and services available in Greenville, Spartanburg, and Anderson counties.
On Monday, Sept. 30, officials said more than 6,650 distribution lines across the Upstate were damaged after the storm, and 425,000 homes and businesses were without power, according to a USA Today power outage tracker .
Shortly after the tropical storm, many Spectrum internet outages began as Helene hit the area .
As of Oct. 7, istheserverdown.com—a third-party data tracking site—listed at least seven major cities in the Upstate, including Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Simpsonville, Easley, Greer, and Duncan, as most affected by Spectrum internet outages.
Here's the latest on power and internet restorations in the Upstate:
Latest on Hurricane Helene assistance: Where to get business aid; places to help others
Spectrum Internet updates see some restoration near Simpsonville, Mauldin area
Many Spectrum Internet customers have been without service for nearly a week. In the past day, there have been reports of individuals seeing internet service restored in the Simpsonville and Mauldin area, beginning Tuesday evening.
According to Down Detector — a self-reporting, third-party data tracker — Spectrum peaked at almost 500 customers affected around 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, citing markets near Charlotte as its top members affected. While no direct outage tracker or number of customers could be identified, Spectrum's communications team offered a statement on the issue earlier in the week:
"Right now, we have over 3,000 field leaders, technicians, and engineers actively working around the clock to access and repair any damage to our network as a result of Helene," said Scott Pryzwansky, mid-south region senior director at Charter Communications. "Once power is restored to homes, streets, and neighborhoods, Spectrum customers are seeing their services come back online."
Swamp Rabbit Trail and parks in Greenville County
While all city and county parks were back open a few days after Helene hit, the Swamp Rabbit Trail has a few places blocked off from pedestrian access.
According to an update from Greenville County Parks and Recreation, "Crews are working to clear the Swamp Rabbit Trail Network after damage from Helene."
Their department also advises the public to obey trail-closed signs as active crews are in the area.
According to the city of Greenville recovery details report, their contractors were hauling storm debris from the area and began the mulching process on Tuesday, Oct. 9. So far, 57,000 cubic yards of debris have been collected, enough to cover 85 football fields.
Energy updates around Upstate, including Duke, Laurens and Blue Ridge
Duke Energy
According to an Oct. 8 social media post, Duke Energy has restored most of its customers' power within the Upstate region and will continue to work to restore around 6,500 total customers throughout the entire state of South Carolina who are still without.
As of the early afternoon on Oct. 9, Duke Energy outages map lists the following customer outages per county:
Greenville — 825
Spartanburg — 527
Anderson — 32
Laurens Electric Cooperative
Laurens Electric announced their service area in the Upstate has restored power to 99 percent of their customers:
As of the early afternoon on Oct. 9, a Laurens Electric outages map lists the following customer outages per county:
Greenville — 133
Spartanburg — 44
Anderson — 1
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative
There were around 32 total outages around noon on Oct. 9, the majority of which were near areas north of Sunset.
On Oct. 7, Blue Ridge Electric announced that 99 percent of its customer base has restored power, as 63,000 members had theirs restored since the impact of Tropical Storm Helene.
Upstate area schools back in session
Greenville County Schools
Greenville County Schools reopened on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and transportation will run modified bus routes to accompany students from and to school, according to Tim Waller, the school district's director of media relations.
More notable information includes the extension of the first quarter of the school year from Oct. 11 to Oct. 21, the cancellation of all field trips for the re-opening week of school, and each school's athletic events will be announced individually.
More: Greenville County back to school: What to know on calendar, bus routes, academic extensions
Anderson County Schools
All five school districts in Anderson County returned to school on Wednesday, Oct. 9.
"The time we were out, we had some damage to the light at the facilities, but we are pretty much back to normal and in a safe environment," said Jeff Wilson, assistant superintendent of Anderson District One. He also noted a few unpassable roads, but not many, as schools in his district were operating in a standard capacity.
Spartanburg County Schools
Six of the seven school districts in Spartanburg County reopened on Tuesday, Oct. 9, with District Four being the only one closed.
A Tuesday morning announcement explained that after returning to Woodruff High School on Tuesday, staff discovered a substance they believed to be mildew or mold in several areas. Due to this discovery, air quality testing for all schools has been scheduled.
More: Spartanburg School District 4 schools remain closed Wednesday due to mildew, mold issues
– A.J. Jackson covers the food & dining scene, along with arts, entertainment and downtown culture for The Greenville News. Contact him by email at ajackson@gannett.com, and follow him on X (formally Twitter) @ajhappened. This coverage is only possible with support from our readers. Sign up today for a digital subscription .
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Latest on Helene internet, power outages; update on parks and schools from around Upstate
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