Mortgage Broker in Easley, SC

EASLEY, S.C (WSPA) – Several churches and schools have come together to provide resources for the community following the devastation of Helene.

When disaster strikes, the Easley community said all hands are on deck to restore the area back to its former glory.

“We hadn’t had anybody come to help us until 5 Point showed up,” said Victoria Nazarian-Akins.

Nazarian-Akins said the roots from the tree in the front yard lifted her house a few inches off the ground, during Friday’s storm.

“We’re here. God is good. We don’t have power. We haven’t had power for six days,” said Nazarian-Akins.

Like most churches in the area, 5 Point said their desire is to help those in need.

“Blue Ridge and Duke Energy have been really good at communicating so we know the areas in our city that don’t have power and we just went off of the map that they’ve been giving us,” said Lawson Clary, 5 Point Church Executive Pastor.

This week, Five Point Church has grilled more than a thousand hotdogs, packed several sacked lunches, and removed downed trees from neighborhoods.

“When they showed up and asked if they wanted to help, I was so grateful because we have had nobody come help,” said Nazarian-Akins. “We’ve had people come in and say, ‘We’ll cut your trees down for $5,000,’ but we don’t have that.”

Five Point said their work doesn’t stop in Pickens County.

They’re accepting donations of non-perishable food items, water, toiletries and diapers to send to families in Western North Carolina.

“We’ve got a connection up there in Candler, North Carolina, where we’re going to drop it. They’re going to helicopter it into some of the remote places that don’t have anything right now,” said Clary. “I think that’s what makes it so rewarding is knowing that we’re just all in this together and the cool part of it is there’s so many churches and other organizations that are doing a great part as well in it and to see all the community come together just fills my heart with joy and it allows me to understand, even in a bad situation, so many good things can happen.”

5 Point Church is accepting donations of resources all week long.

Major Hurricane Milton Continuing to Intensify

Major Hurricane Milton continues to strengthen as the storm remains over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Milton will pose a significant threat to life and property across parts Florida as it could make landfall as a major hurricane late Wednesday or early Thursday.

As of 7 p.m. CDT, Major Hurricane Milton was located near latitude 21.9 N, longitude 90.4 W, or about 60 miles northwest of Progreso, Mexico, and 650 miles southwest of Tampa, Fla. Milton is traveling east at 10 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 180 mph, making it a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. The storm also has a central pressure of 897 mb or 26.49 inches of mercury.

A Hurricane Warning has been issued for:

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for:

A Storm Surge Warning is in place for:

A Storm Surge Watch is in place for:

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:

With plenty of warm Gulf water ahead of it, the storm is expected to continue to strengthen as it moves east or east-southeast through Tuesday morning. This path would put the center of Milton just off the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. From there, Milton will gradually weaken for the rest of Tuesday up until landfall on Wednesday evening. This is due to the storm undergoing an eyewall replacement as well as encountering drier air and strong winds along a cold front. The cold front will also cause Milton to make a turn to the northeast towards the Florida Peninsula, and its forward speed will also accelerate.

Milton will most likely make landfall on Wednesday evening over or very close to the Tampa metro area. The most likely scenario would also be for Milton to be a low to mid-end Category 3 hurricane at landfall, with only a slight chance for it to weaken further to a Category 2 storm. From there, it will zip across Florida early Thursday morning and enter the Atlantic Ocean.

Regardless of the exact track and strength of Milton, it will bring extreme to catastrophic impacts to central Florida, especially along the west-central coast near Tampa.

The outer bands of Milton are expected to bring 2 to 4 inches of rain across portions of the northern Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba. Through the rest of today, heavy rainfall streaming ahead of the storm may begin impacting parts of Florida between the I-4 and I-75 corridors, with more significant rainfall associated with the storm expected from Tuesday into Wednesday. By the time Milton passes, rain gauges could be up to 6 to 10 inches, with isolated totals up to 15 inches possible. This rainfall will likely lead to flash flooding, urban flooding, and moderate to major river flooding.

Storm surge will be dangerous, especially to the northeast of the center of Milton. The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water could reach the following heights above ground somewhere in the indicated areas if the peak surge occurs at the time of high tide:

Tropical storm-force winds (39-73 mph) will begin across western Florida starting late morning or afternoon on Wednesday and will spread southwest-to-northeast through Wednesday evening. Hurricane-force (>74 mph) will be found closer to the center of Milton where it makes landfall on Wednesday evening and very early Thursday morning. Winds will slowly ease for the rest of Thursday.

Residents along the Florida Gulf Coast, especially those in low-lying areas, should begin preparing for potential impacts from Milton, including heavy rainfall, life-threatening storm surge, and strong winds. Coming just two weeks after Hurricane Helene ravaged the Cedar Key-Tampa Bay region, be sure to not allow hurricane fatigue to prevent you from taking this system extremely seriously.

WeatherBug meteorologists will continue to monitor Hurricane Milton, so check for the latest information in your app.

Greenville News

Editor's Note: An updated list is available here.

Hurricane Helene swept through the Upstate Thursday night into early Friday morning, knocking out power for many across the region. Below is a list of places that can provide essential supplies while people wait for power to return. Expect long lines; sometimes, it may be cash only.

Spartanburg County

Greenville County

Pickens County

Abbeville County

Anderson County

Cherokee County

Greenwood County

Oconee County

Union County