MARLBORO — Winter Storm Gianna dumped a historic amount of snow across the Carolinas over the weekend. According to Herald-Advocate readers, snow totals across Marlboro County ranged from 4 to 11 inches.
Coming later than expected, Gianna’s snowflakes began falling around 7 p.m. across most of the area Friday night. After a brief Saturday morning lull, Gianna truly kicked into high gear throughout the late afternoon, evening, and overnight hours Saturday — leaving Marlboro County waking up Sunday to a rare blanket of pristine snow.
Becoming old hands at this winter weather thing by now, most residents were still prepared with staples left over from last weekend’s storm Fern, though admittedly a few were left scrambling for a rarely needed sled.
Come Monday, local social media cites ignited with pictures of snow day fun and posts bragging about snow totals flooded social media news feeds from around the county.
Sandy Griggs reported 8 and a half inches in the Wallace area, as did fellow resident Lisa Smith.
Karen Jacobson measured a whopping ten, and in some places 12 inches of snow at her home in Bennettsville! Others reported 7 inches of snow in the Bennettsville area heading into Wallace.
Angel Sheree saw 5 to 6 inches of snow in McColl, and down the road in Clio, Rhonda Herndon measured 7 inches of snow off Carolina Church Road.
In addition to snow totals, residents also took to their keyboards to share their appreciation for local government, utility workers, and first responders.
Local artist with Medlin Customs and vendor at Bennettsville & Co. downtown, Courtney Medlin summed it up best, saying, “I am very proud of the Marlboro County government for our road’s [being] in fantastic shape. It really shows how much they care about their citizens.”
When it came to caring about citizens, first responders were once again on top of it, and Bennettsville Police Chief Sammy Crosland shared Gianna was simply no match for his department!
Chief Crosland said he was pleased to report there were no significant calls for law enforcement assistance, and calls that were received were handled by his department promptly under a pre-established operational plan designed specifically for severe weather conditions.
“I am extremely proud of how the citizens of Bennettsville came together and responded during our recent winter storms. Through preparedness, patience, and cooperation, the city experienced no reported vehicle accidents, no extended power outages, and no roadway obstructions such as downed trees or debris,” said Crosland, continuing, “I want to commend our police officers for their dedication and professionalism and maintaining full patrol coverage on both day and night shifts throughout both storms.”
Additionally, the police chief highlighted the efforts of Mayor Tyron Abraham and members of the Bennettsville city council who, he said, actively assessed weather conditions as they occurred, while also finding time to personally check on citizens who were taking advantage of the city’s warming center.
“Their presence and leadership demonstrate a hands-on commitment to the well-being of our residents. The successful outcome reflects teamwork between our citizens, first responders, city workers and municipal partners. Bennettsville showed its typical resilience, responsibility, and strong community spirit during both winter events, and I am grateful to everyone who played a role in ensuring these storms passed with minimal impact to our residents.”
Crosland also praised Bennettsville City Administrator William Simon for his forethought in opening the city’s community center to the county as a warming station.
“I am very grateful for the efforts of our town administrator and his staff for keeping our residents safe and warm by opening and providing assistance to those in need at the warming shelter,” Crosland added.
Mayor Tyron Abraham said he was also proud of the city of Bennettsville for coming together during the storm.
“I would like to take this time to thank our state, county, and local agencies, our first responders, community volunteers, and a special thank you to our city administration and employees for their dedicated roles in helping keep our community safe during the recent inclement snowstorm. Thank you all for your hard work, commitment, and for showing true unity during times like these,” said the mayor.
City Administrator Simon also celebrated how each of the city’s departments functioned cohesively throughout both recent weather emergencies.
“During these storms our emergency professionals once again demonstrated what public service truly looks like,” said Simon, adding, “Despite power outages, traffic accidents, health emergencies, and residential fires, our first responders, utilities crews, and support staff always work tirelessly, often in dangerous conditions, to keep our community safe. I am incredibly proud of their professionalism, coordination, and commitment to the city. I also want to thank our residents for cooperating with staff, following safety guidance, and looking out for each other. This partnership between the community and our public servants makes all the difference during challenging times.”
In Clio, Mayor Adam Pate reported a little over 6 inches of the white stuff in his town.
“Ice and snow are something we don’t often experience here in South Carolina and when it does arrive, it can be difficult to be fully prepared for,” said Mayor Pate, adding, “Over the past two weekends, our community experienced back-to-back winter weather events. This past weekend brought a rare and beautiful snowfall to Clio — just over six inches that many of us will remember for years to come.”
The mayor went on to highlight the tireless efforts of so many who not only informed residents but also kept them safe during Winter Storm Gianna.
“I want to extend a sincere thank you to Ed Piotrowski from WPDE for his exceptional coverage of the storm and for keeping our area informed. I also want to recognize Tim McGee and his crew with the South Carolina Department of Transportation for the outstanding job they did preparing and clearing our roads. I am also incredibly proud of our emergency response officials here in Marlboro County, including our Clio Police Department. Everyone came together to ensure our county was prepared and our citizens remained safe throughout these rare weather events,” said Pate.
When it came to fire and rescue, the Marlboro County Coordinator and Emergency Management Director [MCCEMD] Keith Hughes and his partner Assistant MCCEMD Luke Sides happily shared that there were no major health emergencies during either Fern or Gianna.
“As a whole I think the county was lucky to come through both of these storms pretty uneventfully. It was nice to see two warming stations opened in the county — one in Bennettsville and one in McColl at the old CareSouth building on Main Street,” said Sides, who added that he was very appreciative of all the residents who heeded officials’ warnings and advice to stay home.
“We really had few wrecks across the county, so it was obvious residents were staying home and enjoying the snow—I know my family and I took time to play out in it. Snow here is such a rare event and it was nice as a first responder to get the chance to be home making those all-important family memories,” shared Sides.
Part of this reason he said is because preparations for Gianna went into effect last week, with Marlboro County participating in statewide daily briefings with their counterparts at the South Carolina Emergency Management Division [SCEMD].
“We stayed in constant contact with them [SCEMD] for guidance and alerts. DOT crews did a good job keeping our roadways salted and cleared — once the ice finally slowed down. I know at one point the ice was just coming down too hard to safely run people and equipment, but as soon as that ice slowed down, they jumped right back on it,” praised Sides.
Additionally, Sides said first responders in every department across the county beefed up their staff in anticipation of heightened calls from residents in need.
“Luckily, as I said, these winter storms really were uneventful for us from an emergency standpoint, but,” Sides continued, “I think we averaged seven inches of snow across the county and it sure has been a long time since I have seen a snow total like that. I’m just glad our residents stayed safe having fun in the snow.”