Last night a Tornado Warning was issued for a large portion of the South Carolina midlands, including Clarendon County. At this point, there have been three confirmed paths, two in Lexington/Calhoun/Aiken, and one in Clarendon. The storm that came through Clarendon was registered as an EF2, a strong tornado with wind speeds ranging from 113-157mph.
Officials in the City of Manning report damage to businesses like Walmart, Sonic, Tractor Supply, and more on Paxville Hwy, as well as residential damage on Manchester Drive and Bob White Drive.
Right after the storm hit, a gas leak was reported at the Manning Walmart.
"Kudos to the first responders, chief McElveen, and his crew, that got to Walmart quickly and dealt with the gas leak," said City of Manning Police Chief Keith Grice. "Also to Walmart employees who stayed calm and worked well with us throughout the ordeal."
Cheif Grice said, to his knowledge, there were minimal reported power outages within city limits, and he once again expressed thanks to all first responders that showed up quickly and "dealt with the situation the way it needed to be dealt with."
He did ask that all spectators of cleanups and damages throughout the city and county clear the roads and areas so that first responders, linemen, and construction workers could do their jobs effectively.
Several residential areas received damage. Rebecca McLeod, a homeowner in the Hampton Estates community of Manning, reported severe damage to her home during the storm. McLeod creates handmade wooden door hangers from her home, and she was working on them outside when the storm started brewing.
"I had decided that if it was going to storm, I was going to do some painting," said McLeod.
As she was working, her 8-year-old son, Rylan, came outside. This is when McLeod felt like something was wrong.
"All of a sudden, I just got this weird feeling," said McLeod. "I said 'let's go inside.' I stepped in the door and looked out of the french doors in the back and saw a tree in the wind. It just didn't feel right. I said 'ok guys, let's get in the hall."
McLeod said that the storm struck their house two seconds later. She reported that her ears popped and it felt like the roof was going to come off of the house.
"All I could hear was my son screaming," said McLeod. "It ripped a very heavy grill right out from where I was standing outside."
McLeod said that it only lasted maybe ten seconds. Her fiance estimated only seven.
Afterward, they walked outside to check and see if it was over when they noticed that their yard was in shambles and a large portion of their shingles had come off of the roof. Their power did not come back on until late the next day.
