{
  "id": "2024-09-26-university-of-south-carolina-hurricane-helene",
  "slug": "university-of-south-carolina-hurricane-helene-2024-09-26",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of South Carolina",
    "shortName": "USC",
    "state": "SC",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "Carolina Alert",
    "alertPlatform": "Rave",
    "enrollment": 36000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2024-09-26",
    "endDate": "2024-09-27",
    "type": "hurricane",
    "cleryCategory": "emergency-notification",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Hurricane remnants brought flash flooding; classes shifted to virtual",
    "headlinePublic": "Hurricane remnants brought flash flooding; classes shifted to virtual",
    "summary": "On September 26, 2024, the [University of South Carolina's Columbia campus](https://sc.edu/uofsc/announcements/posts/2024/09/hurricane-helene-resources.php) was placed under a Tropical Storm Warning as Hurricane Helene's remnants tracked north from Florida. USC announced that [classes beginning at 5 PM EDT September 26 would shift to virtual](https://sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2024/10/conversation-hurricane-helene-deadly-disaster-six-states.php), with all September 27 classes virtual and campus open only to essential employees. A Flash Flood Warning was [issued for the Columbia campus](https://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2024/10/its-surreal-usc-community-grapples-with-flooding-fallen-trees-after-hurricane-helene-news-davis), and campus flooding followed as the storm's remnants passed.",
    "outcome": "USC sustained significant tree damage and flooding across the Columbia campus but no fatalities or major structural losses. Russell House remained open 24 hours as a dining and study refuge, Thomas Cooper Library opened 24 hours, and Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center provided shower facilities for students whose off-campus housing lost utilities. Helene killed 49 people in South Carolina."
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Late morning of September 26, 2024 EDT (flash flood warning in effect until 1:15 PM EDT)",
      "channel": "sms",
      "verbatimText": "Carolina Alert: A FLASH FLOOD WARNING has been issued for the Columbia campus until Thursday, September 26, 2024 1:15pm. Use caution in low-lying areas.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/law_enforcement_and_safety/carolina-alert/alerts-archive/?alert_year=all",
      "sourceDescription": "Verbatim Carolina Alert flash-flood-warning message archived in USC Carolina Alerts Archive",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim Carolina Alert SMS issued for the Columbia campus when a National Weather Service flash flood warning took effect on Thursday, September 26, 2024",
        "The verbatim message places this warning on Thursday, September 26, ahead of Helene's overnight arrival; the Daily Gamecock separately reported flash flooding in low-lying campus areas, including the Horseshoe, on Friday morning",
        "The advisory uses 'use caution in low-lying areas' rather than the NWS 'turn around, don't drown' phrasing"
      ],
      "characterCount": 152
    },
    {
      "sequence": 2,
      "type": "update",
      "timestampApprox": "Afternoon of September 26, 2024 EDT, before the 5:00 PM EDT virtual transition",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Carolina Alert: Hurricane Helene Update Due to inclement weather associated with Hurricane Helene, classes on the Columbia campus beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26 will be virtual. All classes scheduled for Friday, Sept. 27 also will be virtual. Additionally, campus on Friday will remain open for essential employees only. Employees should check-in with their supervisors and non-essential campus personnel are encouraged to work remotely if possible. Normal campus services will remain available to students, including dining, health services and access to virtual academic support services. Please exercise caution if you must travel during the storm, which is expected to bring rainfall and strong winds to the Midlands beginning this evening.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/law_enforcement_and_safety/carolina-alert/alerts-archive/?alert_year=all",
      "sourceDescription": "Verbatim Carolina Alert message archived in USC Law Enforcement and Safety Carolina Alerts Archive",
      "annotations": [
        "Verbatim Carolina Alert message issued ahead of the 5 PM EDT virtual transition on September 26, 2024",
        "USC shifted classes to virtual beginning 5 PM Thursday rather than closing campus outright; non-essential personnel were encouraged to work remotely",
        "The 5 PM EDT cutover preceded the storm's overnight arrival in the Midlands, with rainfall and strong winds expected that evening"
      ],
      "characterCount": 752
    }
  ],
  "context": "The University of South Carolina is a [public R1 flagship](https://sc.edu/uofsc/announcements/posts/2024/09/hurricane-helene-resources.php) of roughly 36,000 students located in Columbia, in the Midlands region of South Carolina about 200 miles from the coast. As [Hurricane Helene's remnants tracked north from Florida on September 26, 2024](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurricane_Helene), Columbia was placed under a Tropical Storm Warning, an unusual designation for an inland city. USC's response paired a virtual-instruction pivot with an emergency-notification cadence: classes shifted to virtual beginning 5 PM Thursday, all Friday classes were virtual, and campus operated on essential-employees-only status Friday. The National Weather Service [issued a Flash Flood Warning](https://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2024/10/its-surreal-usc-community-grapples-with-flooding-fallen-trees-after-hurricane-helene-news-davis) covering the Columbia campus, and USC pushed a Carolina Alert advising caution in low-lying areas. As the storm passed, USC also opened around-the-clock dining and study space at Russell House, opened Thomas Cooper Library 24 hours, and offered [shower facilities at Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center](https://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2024/09/usc-announces-campus-accommodations-for-students-still-facing-impacts-from-hurricane-helene-news-ribero) for students whose off-campus housing had lost water or power. The state suffered 49 deaths from Helene, primarily from falling trees and flooding, and the broader [South Carolina Office of Resilience](https://scor.sc.gov/helene) coordinated multi-county response.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "USC's virtual-pivot approach (5 PM EDT Thursday onward) replaced traditional closure with continued instruction",
    "Columbia, 200 miles inland, was placed under a Tropical Storm Warning by the National Weather Service, an unusual designation reflecting Helene's exceptional inland reach",
    "USC's Russell House 24-hour dining, library, and shower-facility access converted campus into a residential-utility refuge for students whose off-campus housing lost services",
    "Carolina Alert pushed a campus-specific flash flood warning on September 26, and the Daily Gamecock reported flooding in low-lying campus areas including the Horseshoe"
  ],
  "responseTimeMinutes": null,
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Resources for faculty, staff affected by Hurricane Helene (USC News)",
      "url": "https://sc.edu/uofsc/announcements/posts/2024/09/hurricane-helene-resources.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "How Hurricane Helene became a deadly disaster across 6 states (USC News)",
      "url": "https://sc.edu/uofsc/posts/2024/10/conversation-hurricane-helene-deadly-disaster-six-states.php",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "'Surreal,' Hurricane Helene devastates South Carolina, USC campuses (Daily Gamecock)",
      "url": "https://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2024/10/its-surreal-usc-community-grapples-with-flooding-fallen-trees-after-hurricane-helene-news-davis",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Hurricane Helene student accommodations resources (Daily Gamecock)",
      "url": "https://www.dailygamecock.com/article/2024/09/usc-announces-campus-accommodations-for-students-still-facing-impacts-from-hurricane-helene-news-ribero",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "Carolina Alerts Archive (USC Law Enforcement and Safety)",
      "url": "https://www.sc.edu/about/offices_and_divisions/law_enforcement_and_safety/carolina-alert/alerts-archive/?alert_year=all",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "2024 Hurricane Helene (SC Office of Resilience)",
      "url": "https://scor.sc.gov/helene",
      "type": "other"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "hurricane",
    "helene",
    "weather",
    "tropical-storm-warning",
    "flash-flood-warning",
    "south-carolina",
    "usc",
    "carolina-alert",
    "virtual-pivot",
    "inland-tropical-warning"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-05-03",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-16",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}