Tracing twister’s path of damage, terror in Bamberg

BAMBERG, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - After surveying damage from the day before, National Weather Service officials said Wednesday they determined a tornado caused the devastation that’s closed downtown Bamberg.

Tuesday’s storm has a preliminary rating of 2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale that measures such storms.

The tornado had maximum speeds of 125 mph and a path that was 300 to 400 yards wide, officials said during a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

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These ratings for the tornado are preliminary, based on the pattern and extent of the damage.

The tornado touched down about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday near the South Carolina Oak 2 Barrel factory, where it caused the worst damage, destroying a portion of the building.

“About 2:40, wind started picking up, getting more and more steady,” said David Hutto, a manager at the factory. “I walked out of the office, walked into our front room and seen the roof of the building across the street blow off.”

The glass started shattering in the barrel company’s windows, so Hutto went to the back of the room and ducked into the corner.

“Not many things in life scare me,” he said, but “it was the scariest thing, one of the scariest things I’ve ever done.”

From there, the tornado headed for downtown Bamberg, where a brick building collapsed into the street – something that was captured in a dramatic video. At least four buildings downtown received major damage.

State emergency management crews were on the ground in Bamberg on Wednesday, helping local officials rate the damage so they can determine what kind of federal assistance is needed.

Officials said the storm knocked over about 80 trees.

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About 100 electric customers remained without power Wednesday afternoon, and officials expected to reduce that to 50 by the end of the day.

Water and wastewater infrastructure wasn’t damaged by the storm, officials said.

Thirteen roads remained closed Wednesday afternoon, largely because power lines had fallen across them, officials said.

Because of power outages and debris on the roads, students will finish out the week with e-learning instead of coming to school. There’s no class Monday due to the Martin Luther King holiday, then students will return to schools Tuesday.