BAMBERG, S.C. (WJBF) – South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette visiting Bamberg, S.C. It was one of many stops focusing on economic development and rural communities. “We know when companies come to rural communities, it, it changes everything for a town and a county and a city,” South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette said.

In the aftermath of last week’s E-F 2 tornado, Lt. Gov. Pam Evette did not tour the damage. Instead, she toured Phoenix Specialty Manufacturing to highlight economic prospects in the area. Our cameras were not allowed inside for security reasons. “I met Phoenix when they were up in Greenville. They won a manufacturing award. So I said, I’d love to come down and see what you’re doing. So that’s what’s brought me here today, to become a better salesman for our state,” she added.

During the strategic tour, she highlighted the transformative impact of industrial development in rural areas and its positive effects. “When somebody makes an investment in our small communities, little by little all kinds of things start to change,” she said. “Grocery stores start to look at coming here, strip malls start to pop up. Builders get excited about building homes in those areas.”

Her vision extends beyond immediate challenges, addressing healthcare concerns and emphasizing the need for infrastructure development, including broadband access. “As other companies see the exciting growth that happens and how communities, really make them part of everything that’s happening, we know that that kind of news is very infectious,” she shared. “South Carolina is where everybody’s looking to grow and we’re looking to show ’em the success in these areas.”

Lt. Gov. Evette plans to visit the tornado-hit area to assess the damage, collaborating with South Carolina EMD to coordinate federal assistance. “They’re waiting word, to see what kind of funding, and how what they’ll declare that incident. So we’re just kind of waiting now on the feds,” Lt. Evette said. “I’m excited to see, the rebuild down here and just how it attracts people from all over the state to come down and support, support the businesses that have been impacted.”

She also visited the TICO tractor factory in Jasper County.

BAMBERG, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - As cleanup from Tuesday’s tornado continues, there are stories of hope and inspiration.

Ellen Inabinet was outside cleaning up part of the mess in her yard Friday.

She’s thankful, though.

“It had to be God to save me, to save my life,” she said. “Never mind the materialistic part of it. God saw fit to make me safe until it was over.”

She walked us through the damage to her house, including broken windows and shingles.

She wasn’t even inside during the storm; she was in her car.

“Right here, and she said to me, ‘Move,’ and I said, ‘I can’t move. I can’t move. What do you want me to do?’ She said, ‘Mommy, you can’t stay there,’ and she ran and jumped in the other car. And I was sitting there like this with the motor running,” and that’s when a tree came down, barely missing her.

“It had to be the grace of God,” she said. “And again, I’m very thankful to be alive.”

She and so many others are holding each other close these days.

“The 20 years I’ve been here, this is the closest Bamberg County has really reached out to each other,” she said.

People stop by to help remove the debris.

“I see things in a whole different light now,” she said.

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The Red Cross has been in town, and is ready to offer help if there’s a second round of severe weather.

Also assisting has been a South Carolina Baptist Convention disaster relief group.

Dan Fogle, pastor at a Rosemary Baptist Church in Williston, is leading the local group, which spent all of Thursday running chainsaws and working to clear trees from residents’ homes and yards.

They will be back out on Saturday to continue providing this service as a mission to the community.

“The team is very passionate about helping others, especially our neighbors,” Marti Dickman said.

Two of the team members, including Fogle, had total knee replacement surgery and are still in the recovery phase but are out running chainsaws and moving tree debris to help others.

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BAMBERG, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - The cleanup continued Thursday in Bamberg, two days after a tornado knocked over a downtown building and left a trail of other damage through the community.

And residents were prepared as another round of rough weather headed for the CSRA on Friday. The forecast isn’t as dire as Tuesday’s but it can’t be great for buildings, trees and power poles already weakened by Tuesday’s high winds.

Ahead of that potential bad weather, people spent Thursday pulling trees off roofs and cutting them up, restoring power and cleaning up the mess from leaky roofs.

Despite so much damage, hope is in the air as the city is determined to move forward.

“I didn’t know where to start. I just jumped in and dove in,” said Sammie Milhouse III with Milhouse Landscaping. “It was like a war scene out here. But we got it all cleaned up.”

It’s all hands on deck in Bamberg.

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“Today might be rough, but tomorrow? If you keep working today, tomorrow will be better,” said Milhouse. “I mean, I grew up here. So, I remember these streets as a kid walking down the street. It’s a little difficult to see the damage here.

It’ll take weeks before the city is completely clean, but it’s nothing a little community help can’t solve.

Conrad Stover, owner of Sanders Supply, said: “There’s a good sense of community here. Everyone knows everyone.”

Sanders Supply has been around for more than 80 years.

“I feel blessed it could have could have come straight over us and taken everything,” said Stover.

Luckily, only a small piece of the roof came off from the storm as Stover was inside the store.

“It’s very likely that some of my employees would have been traveling through the downtown area or even myself at the time that a lot of those buildings covered over the road,” he said.

It’s safe to say he’s extra thankful to be standing, watching his business rebuild.

“The people that I have working on my roof are just friends, they’re not my employees. And so that’s just what’s happening all over town is people are coming together,” said Stover.

Together, they’re building a better Bamberg.

Milhouse said: “You know, life is starting to start back. Slowly, but surely.”

Cleanup came a day after a range of officials visited Bamberg on Wednesday to assess the damage and help determine how much state and federal assistance will be needed.

Among the visitors was state Sen. Brad Hutto, who met with Bamberg officials to discuss post-storm cleanup and rebuilding efforts.

Hutto acknowledged the current “terrible situation” but also said the Bamberg community is “lucky to have experienced no injuries or fatalities.” He emphasized the importance of staying away from the affected areas until officials give the all-clear. He also assured his willingness to advocate for state financial assistance on behalf of Bamberg and asked that local officials notify him of specific public buildings that suffered damage from the tornado.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation has been on the ground since Tuesday, and the senator said he will be happy to connect Bamberg leaders with other state agencies as needed.

“We are here to help Bamberg rebuild stronger than ever,” said Hutto.

Also on Wednesday, John Quagliariello from the National Weather Service expressed his gratitude to Bamberg leaders, citizens, business owners, and the media for taking their forecast regarding the pending storm seriously, which prevented possible injuries and fatalities.

Additionally, South Carolina Emergency Management Division Director Ken Stenson emphasized that the agency exists to support local authorities when events like the tornado occur.

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The agency will have “people on the ground in Bamberg as long as they are needed,” Stenson said.

He commended Bamberg County for having an “excellent team that is highly trained and effective,” expressing his confidence that they will be successful in their efforts to rebuild.

Bamberg City Councilman Corey Ramsey reminded attendees that while many may see this as a “gloomy day in Bamberg, there is still hope.”

He continued: “The rainbow that appeared after the storm was a reminder of God’s covenant and His promise to be with us. We will stand tall in Bamberg County, making this perhaps our finest hour. It is still a great day in Bamberg.”

County Administrator Joey Preston said he has been so “moved by how the community has come together during this difficult time” and asks for patience but is confident Bamberg will come back “stronger than ever.”

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Clean up crews, engineers and insurance adjusters visit Bamberg to start with the clean up and re-building process.

BAMBERG, S.C. — Clean-up crews were in full force on Thursday, a week after an EF-2 tornado destroyed downtown Bamberg.

The mayor of Bamberg, Nancy Foster, said the city is putting every effort into cleaning up the downtown area that suffered significant damage.

"And tonight we are declaring at city council, we're declaring Bamberg as a disaster area as part of the progress to get FEMA in here and Governor McMaster," Foster said.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation had a crew out on U.S. 301 clearing parts of the road to allow way for clean-up crews.

RELATED: Bamberg community continues clean-up efforts after EF-2 tornado

Mayor Foster said the clean-up process for the downtown building includes several entities and steps.

"I don't think they can be built back; the three of them, I'm hearing, have to be completely demolished," said Foster. "There is a building on the end that's left, but I think it's been compromised somewhat, so we're trying to deal with that. But we've had structural engineers in, the insurance adjusters have had to come, so it's just a process."

RELATED: Homeowners in South Carolina take steps to recover from storm damage

Councilmembers said the plan to revitalize downtown is still in place despite the buildings having to be demolished.

Bamberg city councilman Corey Ramsey said the city will continue with previous plans.

"We want our citizens to know, we want our people to know, and our neighboring county and citizens to know that Bamberg is dedicated to rebirthing what was, and so we're building a better Bamberg," said Ramsey. "And we have to see what we see now as a vision for the future, not rebuilding because of disaster but rebuilding because there is a vision to build a better Bamberg."

BAMBERG, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A day after the tornado hit in Bamberg, roads are still blocked off and damage was seen across town.

Recovery efforts were getting started on Wednesday, but nowhere near completed yet. Now people are trying to prepare for any more weather coming their way.

“I said, ‘Oh, honey, I hear the alarm, what should would we do?’ He said, ‘Just sit down, just sit down.’ And soon as I sat down five to 10 seconds later, the tornado was here,” said Cynthia McMillan, Bamberg resident.

They didn’t have much time to prepare for what came next.

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“It came smashing in through the windows, and it made a rumbling siren sound. And then it stopped,” she said.

A tree fell on their home, and branches smashed into their roof and windows.

“I tell you this, it was certainly an experience and not only for us, downtown and other homes have been destroyed or damaged. This has been an enlightening experience for Bamberg,” said McMillan.

If they aren’t cleaning up, they’re preparing for more potential severe weather.

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Carlos Chavez, a cashier at Piggly Wiggly, said: “It’s also a little nerve-wracking to know there’s another storm coming and we’re just trying to recover from this one.”

He says the store has been busy all day.

“Here at the store, it’s how it usually goes where everybody comes in, and they buy everything they think they might need,” said Chavez.

Now, they are crossing their fingers and taking extra precautions just in case.

McMillan said: “And for so many years, when we hear about a tornado or hurricane, the lingo is ‘Oh, it’s not going to happen. Nothing’s going to happen.’ And here, something big has happened. We have had severe damages to properties and to homes. So let’s just stay prepared. Let’s stay vigilant. And let’s continue to look out for each other.”

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