Sanford surveys damage at mobile home park

Federal grants through FEMA unlikely for state

GOOSE CREEK — The tornado that ripped through Berkeley County on Saturday flattened Leonard Miller's home but left next-door neighbor Jasper Lloyd's home relatively untouched.

"So you drew the short straw and you drew the long straw?" Gov. Mark Sanford asked the men Monday.

"Yeah, but I took the ride," said Lloyd, who was home when the storm hit.

Sanford met the men Monday while surveying the damage at the Strawberry Mobile Home Park.

Mic Smith
The Post and Courier

Leonard Miller crawls through a blown-out window to get out of his home after working to clean it up on Monday shortly before Gov. Mark Sanford arrived to tour the tornado damage to the mobile home park.

Sanford also stopped in Kershaw and Orangeburg counties, the two other areas that were hardest hit. A total of 17 tornados touched down across the state, officials say.

The tale of the two mobile homes served as an example of why the statewide damage, as catastrophic as it was for some homeowners, probably isn't widespread enough to qualify for federal grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency .

"We're monitoring that, but I don't want to get anyone's hopes up," Sanford said.

Sanford said they hope the damage in the hardest-hit counties will qualify home and business owners for low-interest loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration.

To qualify, at least 25 homes inside a county must be damaged, and they have to be uninsured or underinsured, said Ron Osborne, director of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division. If one county qualifies, contiguous counties with damage also will qualify.

Officials found 18 homes in the mobile home park alone. Officials said they're still assessing the damage.

With backhoes and chain saws rumbling in the background, Sanford and other state and local leaders pledged to help those who lost their homes.

Earlier in the day, the governor signed an executive order activating the South Carolina Emergency Operations Plan, which helps provide emergency services to local governments that request it.

S.C. Department of Transportation crews were helping clear debris, while Highway Patrol troopers in some areas helped with security and traffic flow.

Sanford also praised the Red Cross and local responders for acting so quickly.

"In the wake of the tragedy, neighbors are helping out neighbors," Sanford said.

The National Weather Service in Charleston confirmed that two tornadoes struck Berkeley County and a third touched down near Ridgeville in Dorchester County. Numerous commercial and residential structures, including the town hall, were severely damaged in Branchville in Orangeburg County.

The tornado that tore through the mobile home park produced wind speeds of 100-110 mph that snapped and uprooted trees. Seven people were injured, three of whom were taken to the hospital. Two mobile homes were destroyed, while another six were moderately damaged. The rest sustained minor damage.

"It shook us around like a box of Cracker Jacks," said Jim Priest, a Strawberry Mobile Home Park resident.

A tornado also touched down north of Cainhoy, damaging the roof and knocking the steeple off the Mount Zion Methodist Church.

The tornado that touched down near Ridgeville damaged a gas station and two mobile homes, according to the weather service. Winds reached speeds of 90-95 mph.

Lowcountry touched by three tornadoes

The National Weather Service in Charleston confirmed that three tornadoes hit the Lowcountry on Saturday.

1. RIDGEVILLE: A tornado with 90-95 mph winds touched down at 8:08 p.m. at the Carters Fast Stop gas station, where it ripped off a metal canopy.

It damaged two mobile homes with 100-110 mph winds, lifting the first five feet off its foundation (the home was not secured) and damaging the roof and blowing out the windows and doors of the second.

After it lifted, wind damage went an additional 1.6 miles. Damage continued to Interstate 26, just south of Myers Mayo Road. More than 100 pine trees snapped at the trunk or were uprooted, and large pine trees were downed on the interstate. Wind speeds were estimated to be 95-105 mph.

The total length of the tornado touchdown was 2.2 miles, with a path about 40 yards wide.

2. BERKELEY COUNTY: A tornado was confirmed in Berkeley County at 8:25 p.m. in the Strawberry Mobile Home Park.

Wind speeds of 100-110 mph damaged 18 mobile homes, eight of which were damaged moderately to severely. Large trees were snapped or uprooted.

This tornado injured 7 people.

The tornado then continued across Old U.S. Highway 52, lifting near Angel Lane while snapping or uprooting pines.

The total length of the tornado's touchdown was 0.6 miles with a path width of about 530 feet.

3. CAINHOY ROAD: At 8:36 p.m., a third tornado touched down in a plantation west of Cainhoy Road.

Wind speeds of 86-95 mph severely damaged a large storage shed and knocked down several large trees.

Winds then strengthened to 95-105 mph winds as the tornado crossed Cainhoy Road and severely damaged Mount Zion Methodist Church before lifting.

The total length of the tornado's path was 1.2 miles with a path width of 406 feet.

Reach Andy Paras at 745-5891 or aparas@postandcourier.com.