The South Carolina Tornadoes: Prosperity, SC: Triumph and Disaster

by Albert Milliron | March 17, 2008 at 09:37 am

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The South Carolina Tornadoes: Triumphs and Disaster Prosperity, SC

The tornado that hit Prosperity Saturday night toppling trees, severing power lines and damaging houses packed 140 mph winds, according to the National Weather Service.

It was one of five confirmed “tornado tracks,” said Steve Naglic, with the National Weather Service. Tracks could include widespread communities, skipping from area to another.

In Prosperity, the storm damaged at least 45 homes, said Sheriff Lee Foster. At least one home was destroyed.

Foster said it was too early for officials to put a dollar amount on the extent of the damage.

S.C. 391 remains closed to anyone except property owners in the area. The highway is barricaded and detours are posted, Foster said.

The tornadoes were the result of “super cells,” large, rotating storms, that plowed through the Midlands between 4 and 9 p.m. Saturday packing hail, high winds and rain, Naglic said.

Tornadoes spun from super cells stay on the ground longer and travel farther, in contrast with twisters that normally last only minutes, he said. “This is unheard of in this part of the country. These are the types of storms they typically see out West,” Naglic said.

The storm that hit Prosperity started in Newberry County and moved into northwest Richland County before dissipating near the Ballentine/Chapin area, he said

Stories to Follow:

Family Goes out to dinner, returns to destroyed Home, All Safe.

Woman Rescued from Trailer amazingly found alive.

There was heavy damage in Prosperity, South Carolina, where residents reported seeing a tornado touch down. That's according to the captain of the Newberry County Sheriff's Department. He also reported a woman was severely injured when a tree fell on her trailer and trapped

Source: wcbd.com

(see photo)

A Man and his son was to tear down a shed in the back yard, shed untouched as home sustained severe damage.

Tornado wipes away soldier's dream home

Spc. Sox has survived four IED attacks from the Taliban while fighting for his country here in Ghazni, Afghanistan. But it is a natural disaster back home in South Carolina that is creating the most stress in his life.

Sox was told by his fiance, Angel, yesterday that the house that was going to be their dream home when he returned from this deployment had met with the nightmare of an EF-3 tornado during last weekend's storms.

The home was completely destroyed.

Now, instead of the home he and his new wife were going to share after their wedding in October, they are left to pick up the pieces of furniture and possessions they had started moving into the empty house.

The 21-year-old Sox spent the day Monday dealing with the shock of the news. He's been in the South Carolina Army National Guard for just over four years and volunteered to come on this deployment to Afghanistan. Much of the money he makes on a meager specialist's salary was set aside for a new home.

His father sent an emergency letter through the Red Cross Monday to let him know about the house. It arrived a couple of hours after Angel had already broken the news.

"This morning when I woke up, I sent my fiance a message online," Sox said Monday. "She said, 'I've got some bad news.' I said, 'What is it?' She said, 'Our house is gone!'"

He said she was taking it hard.

Source: blog.al.com

George Bush's Faith Bases Initiatives helped two Local Churches to develop Disaster Responce Teams that were on scene The Morning After.

In a town that lives by its name, Prosperity was pushed to its knees in a matter of minutes Saturday afternoon. "This is as bad as I've seen it anywhere," says volunteer Eddie Fulmer. By Sunday, residents in the hardest hit area along Highway 391 were getting help from Fulmer and others. His team from Bethel Baptist Church travels the world providing disaster relief. Now, it's their neighbors who need a hand. "W

Source: wspa.com

Zion and Wightman United Methodist Churches in cooperation with the United Methodist Conference Disaster Relief effort also Responded/

The Local Red Cross On Scene to help displaced Residence

CENTRAL SOUTH CAROLINA CHAPTER
AMERICAN RED CROSS
Together, we can save a life

PO Box 91
2751 Bull Street
Columbia, SC 29202-0091

Source: chapters.redcross.org

The National Weather Service has confirmed at least 18 tornadoes. Five were rated as the second-weakest on the scale for measuring tornadoes. The rest were the weakest.

The midlands area was hit the hardest, with a category F3 storm touching down in the town of Prosperity in Newberry County. The winds were estimated at 140 mph.

Residents affected by the storm should call the Red Cross at (800) 673-7026. Those wishing to donate should make checks payable to the American Red Cross of Central South Carolina, earmark funds to “disaster relief” and mail to PO Box 91, Columbia, SC, 29202.

Photo Credit: Iron Mill News Service / Politisite.com Reporting on scene in Prosperity, SC

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Rachel Nixon

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 10:03 on March 17th, 2008

Amazing photos, Politisite.

PEP

flagged this story as Good Stuff

at 13:53 on March 17th, 2008

politisite, I like this story. It's good stuff.

Thanks for following this. Are you, family and friends OK? One of my best friends in TN had horrible things happen with his family--but they all survived--in recent TN tornadoes.

Awesome photos. What are you shooting with?

Albert Milliron

at 08:41 on March 18th, 2008

We are fine, Office got hit with hail and heavy winds. Tornado to 4 miles north and 3 miles to south. The footage is from the Prosperity Tornado, we used a canon digital and a Minolta Maxxum 7XI with 800 film. we took 90 photos of the area off Hwy 391 the hardest hit of the 12 toirmados. This was a EF3-4

evenstarelves

at 08:00 on April 7th, 2008

I know of a lady in Georgetown, SC, whose home was severely damaged by the March tornadoes. She has not been given assistance because the govenor has not declared a dissaster for her area. Current estimates exceed $20,000 to repair and she has no insurance and is on disability income. How can she receive help?