By admin 
Enough debris to cover a football field 6.5 feet high remains in the Reedy River in Greenville two years after the remains of Hurricane Helene roared through South Carolina.
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That’s about 25,000 cubic yards of fallen trees and other stuff that the city will use a $1.4M grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fully fund the project.
Wright Construction of Dallas is the contractor.
The debris is between Falls Park and Mauldin Road and could cause flooding during severe weather, said Ben Carroll, the city’s deputy director of Public Works.
He said the city does not have the specialized equipment needed for remote areas, so the job is being contracted out.
Much of the debris will be mulched and used at city parks and facilities.
Work was scheduled to begin Thursday and last approximately five to six weeks, seven days a week, between 7 a.m. and approximately 9 p.m., Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on the weekends, weather permitting.
The remnants of Hurricane Helene blasted through the city, downed hundreds of trees and powerlines, ripped off roofs and flooded streets on Sept. 27, 2024.
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Rain ahead of the storm caused damage in various parts of the city, and a microburst hit the Greenville Zoo. Buildings and animals were OK, but there were many downed trees. Downtown’s treescape was damaged as well.
Greenville City Fire responded to 114 incidents in 24 hours and additional firefighters were called in to staff three water-rescue teams and one high-water vehicle. Once the storm hit, torrential rains, wind gusts, flash floods caused the Reedy River to surge through the downtown with such force it was impossible to see the 28-foot drop of Reedy River Falls.
In all, 90% of residents were without power. Two thirds of traffic lights did not work.
Seven people died — five from falling trees, one in a house fire and one from traffic lights not working. Fire crews responded to 302 emergency incidents over the next 24 hours.
Hundreds of thousands of cubic yards of debris was collected, equaling 15 football fields, 10 feet high.
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