South-Carolina

Tropical Storm Idalia descends on North Carolina after pounding Florida, Georgia and South Carolina

Published

1 year ago

August 31, 2023

Tropical Storm Idalia descends on North Carolina after pounding Florida, Georgia and South Carolina

PERRY, Fla. (AP) — Tropical Storm Idalia descended on the Carolinas on its way out to the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday, leaving a trail of flooding and destruction throughout the Southeast that stretched back to its landfall as a hurricane in Florida.

Rescue and repair efforts continued in the areas the storm passed Wednesday and there was no immediate word on the toll from the ferocious winds and inundating waters, but authorities counted at least one death.

The storm left as many as a half-million customers without power in Florida and other states at one point as it ripped down power poles and lines. Still, it was far less destructive than feared, providing only glancing blows to Tampa Bay and other more populated areas as it came ashore with 125 mph (201 kph) in rural Florida.

The weakening storm still packed winds of up to 60 mph (96 kph) as it blasted through Georgia and South Carolina on Wednesday evening. It was expected to reach the North Carolina coast Thursday and roll off into the ocean through the weekend.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who declared a statewide emergency earlier this week as Idalia approached, had warned residents in coastal and eastern inland counties to prepare for heavy rainfall and localized flooding and urged them to stay off roads covered by water.

In South Carolina, the storm coupled with king tides to send seawater flowing over sand dunes and spilling onto beachfront streets. In Charleston, a surge from Idalia topped the seawall that protects the downtown, sending ankle-deep ocean water into the streets and neighborhoods where horse-drawn carriages pass million-dollar homes and the famous open-air market.

Preliminary data showed the Wednesday evening high tide reached just over 9.2 feet (2.8 meters), more than 3 feet (0.9 meters) above normal and the fifth-highest reading in Charleston Harbor since records were first kept in 1899.

In this photo made in a flight provided by mediccorps.org, the remains of a destroyed home built atop a platform on piles are seen in Keaton Beach, Fla., following the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Bands from Idalia also brought short-lived tornadoes. One flipped a car in suburban Goose Creek, South Carolina, causing minor injuries, authorities said. No major damage was reported.

After traveling across the Gulf of Mexico, Idalia came ashore Wednesday morning near Keaton Beach, pummeling Florida’s remote and lightly populated Big Bend region with powerful winds.

The area, where the Florida Panhandle curves into the peninsula, saw streets turned into rivers that submerged cars and homes, while the howling winds tore off roofs, snapped tall trees, sent sheet metal flying and shredded homes.

“All hell broke loose,” said Belond Thomas of Perry, a mill town located just inland from the Big Bend region. Thomas fled with her family and some friends to a motel, thinking it would be safer than riding out the storm at home but the roof was torn away and debris showered onto her pregnant daughter, who fortunately wasn’t injured, Thomas said.

Rescue workers with Tidewater Disaster Response wade through a tidal surge on SW 358 Highway while looking for people in need of help after the Steinhatchee River flooded on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2023, in Steinhatchee, Fla., following the arrival of Hurricane Idalia. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP) — Rescue workers with Tidewater Disaster Response wade through a tidal surge on SW 358 Highway while looking for people in need of help after the Steinhatchee River flooded on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2023, in Steinhatchee, Fla. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

Pick up trucks and debris lie strewn in a canal in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., after the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

No hurricane-related deaths were officially confirmed in Florida, but the state’s highway patrol reported two people killed in separate weather-related crashes just hours before Idalia made landfall.

Even so, Idalia appeared to be far less destructive than first feared. It avoided large urban regions, striking only glancing blows to Tampa Bay and other more populated areas while focusing its fury on the rural Big Bend section.

However, damage there was likely to be extensive.

At Horseshoe Beach in central Big Bend, Jewell Baggett picked through the wreckage and debris of her mother’s destroyed home, finding a few pictures and her mother’s pots and pans.

Her grandfather built the home decades ago and it had survived four previous storms, she said.

“And now it’s gone,” she said. “Nothing left. A few little trinkets here and there.”

Jewell Baggett stands beside a Christmas decoration she recovered from the wreckage of her mother’s home, as she searches for anything salvageable from the trailer home her grandfather had acquired in 1973 and built multiple additions on to over the decades, in Horseshoe Beach, Fla., after the passage of Hurricane Idalia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Baggett, whose mother had left before the storm hit, said at least five or six other homes also were destroyed.

In Tallahassee, the power went out well before the center of the storm arrived, but the city avoided a direct hit. A giant oak tree next to the governor’s mansion split in half, covering the yard with debris.

State officials, 5,500 National Guardsman and rescue crews went into search-and-recovery mode, inspecting bridges, clearing toppled trees and looking for anyone in distress. More than 30,000 utility workers gathered to repair downed power lines and poles.

Idalia had weakened to a tropical storm by late Wednesday afternoon but it still packed a punch as it advanced into Georgia, where a man in Valdosta died when a tree fell on him as he tried to clear another tree out of the road, Lowndes County Sheriff Ashley Paulk said.

Two others, including a sheriff’s deputy, were hurt, he said.

Officials in Bermuda warned that Idalia could hit the island early next week as a tropical storm. Bermuda on Wednesday was being lashed by the outer bands of Hurricane Franklin, a Category 2 storm that was on track to pass near the island in the north Atlantic Ocean.

President Joe Biden called the governors of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina on Wednesday and told them their states had his administration’s full support, the White House said.

___

Associated Press writers Mike Schneider in St. Louis, Missouri; Curt Anderson in Orlando, Florida; Laura Bargfeld and Chris O’Meara in Tampa, Florida; David Fischer in Miami Beach; Russ Bynum in Savannah, Georgia; Jeff Amy and Jeff Martin in Atlanta; Lisa J. Adams Wagner in Evans, Georgia; Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Kathy McCormack in Concord, New Hampshire; Christopher Megerian in Washington; and Julie Walker and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.

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South-Carolina

Thomas, Davis lead South Carolina to 84-72 victory over Mercer

Published

6 hours ago

November 22, 2024

Press Room

Thomas, Davis lead South Carolina to 84-72 victory over Mercer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Jamarii Thomas had 19 points and Zachary Davis scored 18 to lead South Carolina to an 84-72 victory over Mercer on Thursday night.

Thomas made 5 of 10 shots from the floor, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, and 5 of 8 free throws for the Gamecocks (3-2). He also had three steals. Davis sank 7 of 12 shots with a pair of 3-pointers, adding five rebounds.

Collin Murray-Boyles scored 16 and finished a rebound shy of a double-double for South Carolina. Jacobi Wright scored 11.

Tyler Johnson hit four 3-pointers and led the Bears (2-3) with 15 points. Alex Holt and Angel Montas Jr. added 14 points apiece and Ahmad Robinson pitched in with 13 points and eight assists before fouling out. TJ Grant grabbed 10 rebounds off the bench.

Thomas and Davis scored seven points apiece in the first half to help South Carolina take a 36-32 lead into intermission. Cam Bryant scored all nine of his points and Johnson scored seven to keep Mercer (2-3) close. The difference in the first half was the Gamecocks made 5 of 9 free throws while the Bears did not attempt one.

South Carolina maintained a lead until Robinson buried a 3-pointer to put the Bears on top 60-59 with 10:47 left to play.

The Gamecocks moved back in front and a Myles Stute 3-pointer gave them their biggest lead to that point at 70-62 with 7:45 remaining. A Murray-Boyles dunk pushed the lead to double digits with 3:39 to go and South Carolina was not threatened from there.

It was the first time the two schools squared off since Dec. 30, 2001 — Dave Odom’s first season as South Carolina’s coach.

South Carolina will play Xavier in the Fort Myers Tip-Off on Monday.

KEY STAT

South Carolina made a season-high 12 triples tonight, T-4^th most in the Lamont Paris era.
The Gamecocks held a 29-21 edge in bench points and a 11-3 edge in fastbreak points.

NOTABLES

South Carolina has now won four-straight over Mercer with tonight marking the first victory over the Bears since 2001.
Senior transfer Jamarii Thomas had a season-high 19 points to lead the team. He was 4-of-5 from behind the arc.
Junior Zachary Davis had a career-high 18 points off the bench. He was 7-of-12 from the floor with five rebounds, two assists and a steal.
Sophomore Collin Murray-Boyles had 16 points and nine rebounds, just missing another double-double. He was effective and efficient per usual, going 6-of-7 from the floor with a pair of steals on the defensive end of the floor. He was 2-for-2 from deep, the first two 3s of his career in 33 games played the last two seasons.

UP NEXT

The Gamecocks head south for a two-game MTE in the program’s debut at the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Carolina opens vs. Xavier (5-0) on Monday. Tip is 8:30 p.m. (ET) on FS1 with Jeff Levering (pxp) and Donny Marshall (analyst) on the call. The team will face either Virginia Tech or Michigan Wednesday.

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South-Carolina

South Carolina Graduation Success Rate Figures Announced

Published

15 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

South Carolina Graduation Success Rate Figures Announced

The University of South Carolina athletic program tied for third in the Southeastern Conference in the latest Graduation Success Rate, released Wednesday by the NCAA.

The Graduation Success Rate (GSR) measures the number of scholarship student-athletes that graduate within a six-year period of their initial full-time enrollment. For this report, the GSR is based on student-athletes who entered college in the fall of 2017.

South Carolina’s athletic teams had a 94 percent score, which tied with Auburn University and the University of Mississippi in the SEC behind Vanderbilt (96) and Alabama (96). South Carolina’s Football GSR score (95) ranked second among SEC schools and South Carolina schools. It tied for ninth among all Power 5 schools.

“I am so proud of the academic achievements of our student-athletes,” said Athletics Director Ray Tanner. “Our student-athletes work hard in practice and in games, and they also put in the time with their academics. We have the staff and resources to help our student-athletes reach their goal of graduation.

An outstanding nine teams scored a perfect GSR (100): Men’s Soccer, Men’s Tennis, Women’s Basketball, Beach Volleyball, Softball, Women’s Soccer, Women’s Tennis, Women’s Track & Field, and Volleyball.

Thirteen of South Carolina’s NCAA-sponsored teams met or exceeded the Division I national average for their sport.

“Once again our student-athletes have demonstrated a strong tradition of academic dedication and tenacity”, said Charlie Ball, Associate AD. “Student-athletes at the University of South Carolina have a competitive edge in the classroom and in their respective sports. We are excited to have the ability to offer notable academic support and provide a one-of-a-kind SEC academic experience.”

A Record of Academic Success

Gamecock Athletics has developed a proud tradition of academic success, achieving numerous honors and reaching high levels of achievement during the 2023-24 academic year.

Student-athletes at USC ended the Spring 2024 semester with a departmental grade point average (GPA) of 3.37. It was the 35th consecutive semester with a departmental GPA above 3.0. The cumulative GPA for all student-athletes in each sport since they arrived at Carolina is 3.41, which is the third highest cumulative grade point average ever for Gamecock student-athletes.
133 Gamecock student-athletes earned their degrees during the 2023-24 academic year.
South Carolina had 430 members on the SEC Academic Honor Roll (fall, winter, spring, first-year), which was third in the SEC. Since 2015-16, South Carolina leads all schools with 3,748 members of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. South Carolina led all schools in SEC Academic Honor Roll in seven of the last nine years (2nd – 2017-18; 3rd – 2023-24).
Six Gamecocks earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-America honors. It is the first time since 2021 that Gamecocks have had multiple first-team and six overall Academic All-Americans. The list includes Dylan Taggart, Men’s Track & Field (1st Team / CSC Academic All-America Track & Field Team Member of the Year), Sarah Hamner, Women’s Tennis (1^st Team), Anass Essayi , Men’s Track & Field (2^ndTeam), Cole Messina, Baseball (3^rd Team), Skylar Allen, Beach Volleyball (3^rd Team) and Louise Rydqvist, Women’s Golf (3^rd Team).
43 Gamecocks earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors and four earned conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in their respective sports – Dylan Taggart (SEC Indoor & Outdoor Track Scholar-Athlete of the Year), Louis Rvdqvist (SEC women’s golf), Ayana Akli (SEC women’s tennis) and Skylar Allen (CCSA Beach Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year).

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South-Carolina

JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, South Carolina highlight women’s games to watch this week

Published

23 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Press Room

JuJu Watkins, Hannah Hidalgo, South Carolina highlight women’s games to watch this week

Technically, Feast Week is still three days away, but given some of the star-powered matchups this week in women’s college hoops, those who are craving good basketball are going to get their fill — and then some.

The two biggest games of the week are both taking place in L.A., more proof that Hollywood really does attract the biggest and best stars. While USC-Notre Dame and UCLA-South Carolina will command plenty of attention, don’t discount some of the unranked and/or mid-major schools listed below. November is a great time to get familiar with non-brand names that could make a run come March.

And with that, here are five women’s college games to watch this week.

Belmont at No. 14 Duke

Thursday, 7 p.m. on ACC Network

Don’t be fooled by Belmont’s 2-2 record — the Bruins took No. 11 Ohio State to the wire last week, and Bart Brooks is one of the best coaches in the country, period. Belmont boasts a balanced scoring attack, with five players averaging 8.0 points or more, but in order to pull an upset in historic Cameron Indoor Stadium, they’re going to need Kendall Holmes (12.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Emily La Chapell (11.5 ppg, 3.0 apg) to step up. Duke, which also has a balanced attack, won’t make it easy, especially if Ashlon Jackson (13.2 ppg, 40% 3FG) and Reigan Richardson (11.4 ppg, 41.2% 3FG) are hitting from outside.

No. 9 Oklahoma at UNLV

Friday, 3:30 ET on Mountain West Network

This could be interesting. UNLV has ruled the Mountain West for a few years, and is often ranked at the end of the regular season. But the Rebels have yet to make major noise in the NCAA tournament, even though they’re often a popular upset pick. Could a win at home over a top 10 team help build the confidence they need to do some damage in March? To upset the Sooners they’ll have to figure out how to handle junior center Raegan Beers (21.2 ppg, 11.8 rpg), arguably the top transfer in the country.

Harvard at Northwestern

Saturday, 1 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network+

Harvard’s already picked up one win against a Big Ten team, knocking off then-ranked Indiana in Bloomington in the second game of the season. And given that the Crimson feature one of the best players in the country you haven’t heard of — senior guard Harmoni Turner is averaging 23.8 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and shooting 45.1% from the field — the chances of notching another big road win look good.

No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 3 USC

Saturday, 4 p.m. ET on NBC/Peacock

The two best sophomores in the country, USC’s JuJu Watkins and Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo take centerstage in a game that could very well break scoring records based on how much these two guards love to push pace. Watkins (21.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 4.8 spg) is pro-ready in just her second year of college hoops and Hidalgo (25.0 ppg, 5.2 spg) is maybe the best on-ball defender in the country, a pest who knows how to steal the ball and turn it into points on the other end. But these two are hardly one-woman shows. USC got a gem out of the transfer portal in Kiki Iriafen (17.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and the Irish’s other star guard, Olivia Miles (18.3 ppg, 6.8), is healthy after missing last season. You’re going to want popcorn handy when you tune into this game.

No. 1 South Carolina at No. 6 UCLA

Sunday, 4 p.m. ET on FS1

UCLA junior center Lauren Betts (21.5 ppg, 11.5 rpg) is an early favorite to contend for national player of the year honors. One thing that would help make a case for her: a stellar performance against the defending champs. That’s a tall task though, even for the 6-foot-7 Betts. She’ll be going up against Gamecocks like Joyce Edwards (10.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), a freshman who plays like a veteran, and Ashlyn Watkins (5.7 ppg, 1.3 bpg), who proved last year she’s one of the best defenders in the country. Will UCLA and Betts be able to slow Chloe Kitts (17.3 ppg, 10.3 rpg) and Te-Hina Paopao (13.5 ppg, 44% 3FG)? They’ll have to in order to beat South Carolina. A big game from transfer Timea Gardiner (14.5 ppg, 57.7% 3FG) would also help.

USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll: Defending national champions remain at No. 1

Email Lindsay Schnell at lschnell@usatoday.com and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell

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