Growing up in South Carolina, you always kind of have this innate feeling that we aren’t as good as other states. Maybe it’s our historical background, our work-in-progress education system, or the sheer level of poverty we have. I’m sure you have your own reasons, like everybody, about why South Carolina is less than ideal at times. South Carolina unfortunately tends to be the representative state for the Deep South and gets the brunt of the ignorance and incompetence often associated with that area of the country. It also doesn’t help that news and media often views us through this lens. Almost every time we’re on T.V. or the internet, it is to expose bad situations. I want bad situations to be brought to light as much as the next guy in order to create change, but what people don’t talk about is the good that is happening in our state. How resilient our people are. How we try to help each other to overcome problems because that’s what we were raised to do.
When the weather report called for a historic rain event last week, no one knew what that meant. No one knew they would lose possessions, cars, water, electricity, pets, or their homes. As far as we knew, we would just have the same flash flooding we always get after a hard rain. By Sunday morning, things were changing. I woke up to the sound of thick, full rain on the roof and turned on WIS to realize that this wasn’t a joke. Neighborhoods were being evacuated by boat, snakes were swimming in small lake-sized puddles, roads were breaking through, and interstates were shutting down. We watched on TV as buildings that we’ve been to collapsed under the weight of the water, as small dams broke, as missing person alerts were announced. Friends and family texted and called each other, people gave updates on Facebook about themselves and their families, and news stations were working like madmen to keep us accurately updated.
After this, people started losing power and water. A boil water advisory was issued throughout Columbia, and since we didn’t know how long our water would last, myself and other college students living downtown began boiling water and putting it into anything we could find: two-liter soda bottles, thick plastic water bottles, pitchers, mixing bowls, pots, etc. On Sunday night, all University of South Carolina on-campus students lost water completely. As in, no drinking water, no showers, no toilets. Even hospitals lost water.
But immediately after this crisis started, South Carolina started fighting back. First responders, firefighters, policemen, and even the National Guard were working overtime to rescue people from neighborhoods and apartment complexes. These people, who also had family and friends to worry about, spent countless days and nights driving boats and hummers to rescue those caught in flood waters. Police officials also put strict curfews in place to keep civilians from getting caught in the terrible weather and monitored the streets to make sure no one was out. Furthermore, policemen all around Richland County stood out in this weather and away from their families, blocking roads and bridges in the face of annoyed drivers for our safety.
The University of South Carolina and President Pastides truly stepped up to help their students. On Monday, the first day of closed campus (meaning no students, faculty, or staff were to come to school), USC managed to keep open the Student Health Center and the Counseling Center. Not only that but they kept open a few dining places and passed out water bottles to anyone who could make it to certain places on campus. Since there was no running water, port-o-potties were set up on campus at every dorm.
While USC did everything they could to manage physical needs, they went beyond that. They also tackled cabin fever by offering a number of activities at the Student Union: dance parties, big screen Netflix marathons, movies, board games, Cornhole, etc.
USC students came together to create a flood relief volunteer sign-up page as the initial rainfall stopped. This volunteer page spread like wildfire across the student population and hundreds signed up to receive emails requesting volunteers. These service activities included everything from picking up debris on campus to organizing donations at flood shelters around Richland county. School got canceled for the rest of the week as of Tuesday afternoon, and students are on campus using their “Get Out of Jail Free” card to help others.
Other South Carolinians also stepped up to volunteer, by donating bottles of water, toiletries, and clothes to displaced flood victims. Notably, the widow of Forest Acres Police Officer Greg Aria, who was shot just last week in the line of duty, was spotted Tuesday volunteering at Harvest Hope Food Bank. This was just three days after her husband was buried. When WIS asked about her volunteering, she stated, "South Carolina can sometimes be portrayed as lower on many rankings and can be displayed in not the best light, but when you look at not only Forest Acres but broader South Carolina, I am so proud that I call this state now my home.” Mrs. Aria went on to discuss how the community in Forest Acres (and South Carolina as a whole) was always there to support her and now she felt she could do the same.
On Tuesday morning, South Carolina woke up to the sun shining in a bright blue sky. The sun was shining on destroyed houses, exhausted First Responders, overworked news reporters, and families who have lost homes, possessions, and relatives. The sun also shined on a community of proud South Carolinians who were donating time and money to support one other.
We haven’t had the easiest year here, in South Carolina. In June, we lost 9 beautiful souls as part of a senseless tragedy. Later, the world watched in shock as the families of those souls stood strong, with The Lord and South Carolina standing behind them and forgave the shooter to his face.
In the 21 years I have lived here, I’ve realized that while bad things may happen in South Carolina, the majority of people here are good. They are strong, graceful, and compassionate. I am incredibly proud to be a South Carolinian, and I truly hope you are too.
