WHAT TO KNOW: Upstate agencies preparing for Hurricane Helene

UPSTATE, S.C. (WSPA) – As Hurricane Helene prepares to make landfall in Florida’s western panhandle, 7NEWS spoke with several Upstate organizations about how they’re preparing for the worst.

Union County 911 Director, Jeff Wright said he has had multiple meetings with county leaders about how to prepare for the hurricane over the past several days.

“The utilities department talked about their preparations, getting ready [by] clearing storm drains,” said Wright. “[We encourage residents] to have non-perishable food items on hand, drinking water, flashlight [and] batteries.”

He said there are more than a dozen fire departments in the county, ready to answer any calls for help.

Cherokee County Emergency Management Director Douglass Bowers told 7NEWS they have about 30 Community Emergency Response Team volunteers on standby to help out, with teams of four rotating shifts.

Duke Energy Spokesperson Ryan Mosier said the company has more than 10,000 tree trimmers, line workers and other employees set to be deployed to ensure customers have power when they need it; thanks to thousands of new smart devices, it’s been installing with its electrical lines and poles for the past several years.

“When we install these smart devices, they are able to talk to each other and in an automated response to a fault or something that goes wrong in one spot, they can immediately communicate with each other and redirect power around that area where there is a problem, so that the customers who are not immediately at that spot may not see any issue at all,” said Mosier. “Anytime you’re saving a customer outage time, that’s also being more efficient for the company and its crews who are out there.”

Duke Energy also recommended to prepare for the worst beforehand.

“Make sure that [you’re] paying attention to local news outlets, like WSPA and others, to understand what the weather situation is going to be, when it’s going to be like that,” said Mosier.

Lori Todd, a manager with Cherokee County’s Farm Bureau Insurance agency told 7NEWS, even after the storm rolls through, to be careful of who else is rolling through your neighborhood.

“Make sure that when the storm is over and then these cars come by to tell you they want to fix your roof, to beware and make sure that you are using a reputable company,” said Todd.

Todd explained roof damage claims are the most commonly filed after a big storm.

“I would say, even before signing with a company to do any kind of repairs, that you go ahead and talk to your insurance company first,” said Todd.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.