Beaufort County schools stay open ahead of Helene. But a change to after-school operations
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Beaufort County schools will not close Thursday and Friday in the wake of Hurricane Helene, a Category 1 storm on Wednesday that was expected to strengthen and bring residual effects to the Lowcountry later in the week.
Candace Bruder, a district spokesperson, said they were closely monitoring Helene’s development in consultation with Emergency Management.
“Based on current forecasts, schools will operate on a normal schedule for Thursday, September 26, and Friday, September 27,” Bruder’s email read Wednesday afternoon.
However, all after-school activities will be canceled Thursday, Bruder said.
“Please note that if any changes to our operations become necessary, we will notify families in a timely manner,” Bruder said. “We encourage everyone to stay informed by checking our district website and social media channels regularly for updates.”
Officials with the University of South Carolina-Beaufort said they were closely monitoring Helene. As of Wednesday afternoon, USCB was not closed. Updates and important information for students and employees will be provided as needed, the school’s website noted. To get updated information, head to uscb.edu/weather.
The Technical College of the Lowcountry said it was monitoring Hurricane Helene and would post updates to its website at tcl.edu, text alerts and social media.
Helene intensified into a Category 1 hurricane Wednesday morning and was expected to strengthen before reaching Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday. At 1 p.m. Wednesday, the storm system was about 480 miles from Tampa, Florida, and packing 80 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center’s advisory.
The National Weather Service said Hurricane Helene was likely to bring strong winds, heavy rain and rough seas to the Lowcountry.
A tropical storm warning was triggered at 11 a.m. Wednesday for Beaufort County, indicating that tropical storm-force winds are expected somewhere in the area — Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head Island — within the next 36 hours. The tropical storm warning was set to expire at 1:15 a.m. Thursday.
On Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Henry McMaster issued a State of Emergency to ensure the “Team South Carolina has the necessary resources in place to respond to these potential impacts.”
This story was originally published September 25, 2024 at 2:34 PM.
