Orangeburg County offers sandbag pickup ahead of Hurricane Debby

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Orangeburg County officials announced they were offering sandbag pickup at various locations across the county ahead of Hurricane Debby.

As of 5:30 p.m. Monday, county officials said they have run out of sandbags due to overwhelming demand and are therefore not distributing on Tuesday or Wednesday.

They encourage those in need of sandbags to check local hardware stores for bags of playground sand or something similar.

Sandbags can be an effective way to prevent or reduce flood water damage, acting as a barrier to keep water from moving into buildings. They do not guarantee a water-tight seal, but they can help.

Most of Orangeburg County is expected to receive at least 10 to 15 inches of rain from Tuesday until Thursday afternoon. For those that live in the Southeastern part of Orangeburg that includes Bowman, Eutawville, Holly Hill and others can see between 15 to 20 inches of rain.

The Orangeburg County School District announced that there will be no school for Tuesday and Wednesday.

County officials said residents could pick up bags and sand on Monday, Aug. 5 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The following locations offered pickup:

Bowman Fire Station 1 - 2403 Homestead Rd, Bowman, SC 29018
Holly Hill Waste Treatment Facility - 535 Pine Street, Holly Hill, SC, 29059
Eutawville Fire Station 2 - 858 Sandspoint Street, Eutawville, SC, 29048
Vance Maintenance Camp - 126 Brink Drive, Vance, SC, 29163
Providence Fire Department Station 1 - 4773 Old State Road, Holly Hill, SC 29059
Neeses Fire Department - 5994 Neeses Highway, Neeses, SC, 29107
Orangeburg County Animal Control - 1596 Ellis Ave, Orangeburg, SC, 29118

What began as a tropical storm turned into a Category 1 Hurricane Sunday night with potential winds up to 75 mph. Based on current projections, Debby has the potential to bring heavy rain and gusty winds to South Carolina and the Southeastern United States.

The Orangeburg Public Works Department has been out all day across the county cleaning out ditches and checking drainage systems so that the water can be handled accordingly.

An emergency shelter will be open for residents at the City Gym, located at 410 Broughton Street beginning at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6 through Friday, Aug. 9.

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