Johnson County hit hard by rain from Helene

JOHNSON COUNTY, S.C. (WJBF) – One of our western counties expected to get hit the hardest by Helene is Johnson County. They’ve already seen 6 inches of rain as of 5 p.m. Thursday.

The EMA Director tells us they’ve already seen 6 inches of rain, but he expects the county to get up to 9 or 10 inches before the storm masses. So far not many damages to report, but they’re expecting more damage to come when the worst of the storm comes later Thursday night.

That said, they have received calls about flooding in several areas nearby, along with washed out roads. We spoke to Wrightsville Mayor Janibeth Outlaw, who says they’re preparing for the worst.

“We’ve watched webinars with the National Weather Service, and what they have said is that it’s unprecedented what we might see. We have sent out code red alerts, we’ve also put things on social media trying to really emphasize stay at home–make sure you have water, food, and that you’re ready to shelter in a place for a little bit.”

Helene is expected to make landfall around 8 p.m. in Florida. The WJBF Weather Team expects Johnson County to see more rain and winds between 40 and 75 miles per hour, with those impacts on track to hit this area close to midnight.

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