Utility crews and first responders are still struggling to assess the damage done by Hurricane Helene, which wreaked destruction on South Carolina in the early hours of Friday morning.

COLUMBIA, S.C. — Power outages in South Carolina are extensive due to Tropical Storm Helene's track through the southeastern U.S. The storm's those tropical storm force winds, coupled with rain that soaked the ground a day earlier, toppled trees and power lines in some of the most widespread damage the central South Carolina area has ever seen.