Coroner identifies 5 Hampton County residents, including a family, killed in tornado
This story was updated on April 15 at 1:01pm.
The five people killed by the devastating tornado in Hampton County have been identified. Three were from a family in Nixville and two lived on Browning Gate Road nearby, according to authorities.
Donna Breeland, 56; Jim Breeland, 59; and Kayla Breeland, 26, were the three killed from the Nixville area, according to Hampton County Coroner Angela Topper.
Topper said the other two from Browning Gate Road were Alberto Hernandez, 41, and Rene Cruz Rodriguez, 25.
The storm also killed one person in Colleton County. The victim was identified as Ethel Griffin, 46, from Waltersboro, according to Richard Harvey, Colleton County Coroner.
Harvey said Griffin died as a direct result of the storm, when a tree went through the window of her home.
The tornado touched down in Hampton County early Monday morning. Severe storms demolished homes and wrecked power lines across several counties in a destruction Gov. Henry McMaster described as “enormous.”
The homes of 200 to 250 people in Hampton County were damaged or destroyed in the storm, Hampton County Emergency Management director Susanne Peeples said.
The storms were responsible for nine deaths across South Carolina.
This story was originally published April 15, 2020 at 9:49 AM.
