What’s that smell? Officials address strong odor reported in area of Upstate
JOINING US AT FIVE. SYDNEY AND NIGEL ARE UP NEXT. WYFF NEWS FOUR AT SIX STARTS RIGHT NOW. WE’RE WORKING FROM SUNUP TILL WAY PAST SUNDOWN. WE’RE WORKING 16 HOUR DAYS OUT IN THE COLD ACROSS OUR REGION. CREWS ARE CUTTING TREES OFF OF THESE POWER LINES, WORKING TO GET THE POWER BACK ON FOR YOU AT HOME. WE’VE GOT THE LATEST COMING UP. THAT WHITE FLAG. THAT MEANS A WARMING SHELTER IS OPENING OVERNIGHT TONIGHT ON WYFF 4. WE’RE SHARING HOW YOU CAN STAY WARM AND SAFE WHEN THE TEMPERATURES DROP TO THE TEENS, LOW TO MID 20S ACROSS THE AREA. TONIGHT MEANS ANOTHER REFREEZE AND BLACK ICE. COMING UP, I’LL SHOW YOU ANOTHER CHANCE FOR SNOW. THANKS FOR JOINING US FOR WYFF NEWS 4 AT SIX. WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THE WINTER STORM AFTERMATH AS CREWS WORK TO RESTORE POWER, AND THE CAROLINAS AND GEORGIA ARE STILL SEEING EXTREMELY COLD TEMPERATURES. AND THIS COMES AS OUR LIVE SUPER DOPPLER FOUR WEATHER TEAM IS TRACKING A NEW WINTER STORM POSSIBILITY. WE HAVE TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT ACROSS THE UPSTATE. WE BEGIN WITH OUR PEYTON FURTADO, WHO HAS THE LATEST ON THE PUSH TO FIX THOSE POWER OUTAGES. THIS MAY LOOK LIKE A WINTRY WONDERLAND, BUT THESE ICY ROADS, TREES WEIGHED DOWN BY ICICLES, THEY’RE CAUSING A LOT OF PROBLEMS FOR LINEMEN IN GREENVILLE, PICKENS AND OCONEE COUNTIES. BUT THEY TELL US THEY’RE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE. WHEN YOU THINK OF THE NORTHERN PART OF THOSE COUNTIES THINKING RUGGED TERRAIN, YOU’RE THINKING THAT ROADS THAT COULD BE IMPACTED BY THE FROZEN PRECIPITATION, WE SEE IT EVERYWHERE, AND WE’VE GOT TO WORK THROUGH THOSE CHALLENGES. THEY’RE WORKING FROM SIGN UP UNTIL WAY PAST SUNDOWN. WE’RE WORKING 16 HOUR DAYS OUT IN THE COLD. HELP IS ON THE WAY. TUESDAY, DUKE ENERGY AND BLUE RIDGE ELECTRIC CO-OP WORKERS FOCUSED THEIR EFFORTS ON THE NORTHERN PART OF THE REGION, WHERE MOST OF THE OUTAGES AND IMPACTS WERE. BY MONDAY MORNING, WE HAD ABOUT 17,000 CUSTOMERS THAT WERE IMPACTED BY THE FROZEN PRECIPITATION, COMBINATION OF SLEET AND FROZEN RAIN AND ICE, AND CAUSED SOME SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE ON OUR SYSTEM, PRIMARILY IN THE NORTHERN UPSTATE. THIS HAS BEEN A CATASTROPHIC STORM FOR US. YOU KNOW, WE HAD OVER 25,000 MEMBERS OUT AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS STORM. AND NOW A NEW CHALLENGE WIND KNOCKING DOWN, TREES ALREADY WEAKENED BY THICK ICE. THEY MAY COME AROUND THE CORNER, AND THERE MAY BE A TREE DOWN THAT HAS PARTIAL PARTIALLY TO THE ROADBLOCK. SO JUST BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO GET IN A HURRY. TAKE THEIR TIME. TAKE YOUR TIME. WHILE POWER COMPANIES WORK OVERTIME, WE’LL DEFINITELY HAVE EVERYBODY BACK ON IN THE NEXT TWO DAYS. YOU KNOW, WE START OFF BY WORKING WITH BIG BLOCKS OF OUTAGES. AND SO WE’VE PRETTY MUCH TAKEN CARE OF THOSE NOW. SO NOW WE’RE WORKING ON THE SMALLER OUTAGES THAT ARE SPORADIC THROUGHOUT OUR SYSTEM. THE ESTIMATED TIME OF RESTORATION FOR MOST OF THESE FOLKS WAS ANYWHERE BETWEEN 10 P.M. AND MIDNIGHT, BUT WE FULLY EXPECT TO EXCEED THOSE STANDARDS. WE HAVE THE LATEST ON ALL THE POWER OUTAGES IN OUR REGION ON WYFF 4 DOT COM. IN NORTHERN GREENVILLE COUNTY, I’M PEYTON FURTADO FOR WYFF NEWS FOUR. TAKING A LOOK AT THE LATEST POWER OUTAGES, BLUE RIDGE ELECTRIC IS REPORTING MORE THAN 5000 CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER. AND DUKE ENERGY IS REPORTING 178 CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER IN THE UPSTATE. GREENVILLE COUNTY SCHOOLS WILL BE ON E-LEARNING TOMORROW BECAUSE SOME AREAS REMAIN ICY. OUR NATE STANLEY ROAD, ALONG WITH GREENVILLE COUNTY SCHOOLS DIRECTOR FOR TRANSPORTATION TO CHECK THE ROAD CONDITIONS OUT IN THE COUNTY. HE JOINS US LIVE WITH HOW THEY MADE THE DECISION. NATE. AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT’S ICE TEAM IS MADE UP OF ABOUT 19 DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS SURVEYING ROADS FROM EVERY TIP OF GREENVILLE COUNTY SO THEY CAN HAVE A COMPREHENSIVE DECISION MAKING PROCESS TO DETERMINE WHETHER OR NOT SCHOOLS SHOULD HAPPEN IN PERSON. THE NEXT DAY, TOMORROW. YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE VIDEO RIGHT NOW OF WHAT THAT RIDE ALONG LOOKED LIKE. THE SCHOOL DISTRICT DECIDING BETWEEN WHETHER OR NOT TO INVITE PEOPLE BACK IN PERSON AT SCHOOL AND PUTTING BUSSES ON OVER 300 DIFFERENT ROUTES. THE DECISION COMES FROM THAT TEAM, AND ULTIMATELY THE DECISION IS MADE BY THE SUPERINTENDENT. TAKE A LISTEN TO HOW SOME OF THOSE DECISIONS ARE MADE AND HOW THE BUSSES. SIZE CAN ALSO COMPLICATE THINGS. RUNNING STUDENT DRIVERS THROUGH HERE THAT HAVE LIMITED DRIVING EXPERIENCE IS EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS. SEE, YOU KNOW, THE TOYOTA FORERUNNER COMING AT US GOING TO DO FAIRLY WELL ON THIS ROAD. YOU KNOW, NOT TERRIBLE AT ALL. BUT IT’S NOT A 40,000 POUND VEHICLE WITH, YOU KNOW, 40 OR 50 KIDS IN IT EITHER. AND NOW THIS DECISION MAKING PROCESS WILL HAPPEN AGAIN TOMORROW. AS YOU MENTIONED, IF CONDITIONS ON THE ROADS GET WORSE OR THIS ICE REFREEZES OVERNIGHT, THAT COULD CAUSE THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS LIKE YESTERDAY OR TODAY TO HAPPEN AGAIN TOMORROW. OF COURSE, WE’LL KEEP YOU UPDATED AS ANY NEW INFORMATION BECOMES AVAILABLE. REPORTING IN GREENVILLE COUNTY. NATE STANLEY WYFF NEWS FOUR. MEANWHILE, OTHER DISTRICTS ARE MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT SCHOOL TOMORROW. ALL ANDERSON COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICTS WILL BE E-LEARNING. SOME SCHOOLS IN SPARTANBURG COUNTY ARE E-LEARNING AS WELL. AND PICKENS COUNTY ALSO ON E-LEARNING. YOU CAN FIND THE ENTIRE LIST RIGHT NOW ON WYFF 4 DOT COM. TURNING TO OUR FORECAST NOW AND THE POTENTIAL FOR SNOW. I CAN’T BELIEVE THE WORDS YOU ARE SAYING. NIGEL CHIEF METEOROLOGIST CHRIS JUSTUS JOINS US WITH THE AREA’S CERTIFIED MOST ACCURATE FORECAST. CHRIS, WHAT ARE YOU SEEING FOR THE WEEKEND? YOU KNOW, A LESS IMPACTFUL SYSTEM. THERE’S NO ICE IN THIS. IT WOULD BE SNOW OR NO SNOW. SO THERE’S A GOOD THING THERE. IT WILL BE FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY IF WE GET IT. LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT’S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW BECAUSE WE’VE GOT CLEAR SKIES. THE MAIN CONCERN RIGHT NOW, THE REFREEZE. WE’RE GOING TO SEE TEMPERATURES COOL DOWN ENOUGH THAT ANY KIND OF SLUSH OR WATER ON THE ROADS IS GOING TO REFREEZE INTO TOMORROW MORNING, ESPECIALLY ON THOSE BACK ROADS. AND WE’RE ALREADY JUST ABOVE FREEZING RIGHT NOW, MID 30S ACROSS A GOOD BIT OF THE AREA. WEST WINDS AT ABOUT 15 TO 20MPH, AND THOSE GUSTS UP TO 25MPH. IT IS COLD OUT. THE WIND CHILL IS NOW 29, IN SPARTANBURG, 27 IN GREENVILLE. FEELS LIKE 26 RIGHT NOW WITH THE WIND IN ANDERSON OVER THE NEXT 12 HOURS. NO PROBLEMS, BUT IT BEING COLD, LOW TO MID 20S. IT’S FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY. WE GOT TO WATCH OUT FOR ARCTIC AIR IS IN PLACE. SO AGAIN WE’RE COLD ALL THE WAY UP AND DOWN THE ATMOSPHERE, WHICH MEANS ANYTHING THAT FALLS WILL PURELY BE SNOW. AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE EUROPEAN AND THE GFS ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT WILL GET SNOW. IT’S JUST A MATTER OF HOW MUCH EUROPEANS A GLANCING BLOW. THE GFS IS A BIG SNOW COMING UP. I’LL SHOW YOU ALL THE DETAILS ON WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IF WE WANT TO GET SOME SNOW ACROSS THE AREA AND WHAT HAPPENS BEYOND THAT SYSTEM. CHRIS. THANK YOU. MAKING A PLAN TO FIND SHELTER AND TAKING PROACTIVE STEPS BEFORE STEPPING OUTSIDE CAN HELP PROTECT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY FROM INJURY OR SICKNESS. WHEN THAT TEMPERATURE DROPS, OUR CAITLIN ASHBAUGH JOINS US LIVE IN GREENVILLE. CAITLIN, WHAT HAZARDS CAN THIS COLD WEATHER CAUSE FOR YOUR HEALTH? HEY, SYDNEY. NIGEL. WELL, AS THE SUN HAS STARTED TO SET, WE’RE ALREADY STARTING TO FEEL THAT CHILL, RIGHT? I’VE GOT GLOVES ON AND EVEN WITH THESE ON, CAN STILL FEEL IT IN MY FINGERS. THESE DROPPING TEMPERATURES CAN POSE A DANGEROUSLY HIGH RISK FOR BODILY INJURY. THAT’S WHY HAVING THINGS LIKE MULTIPLE LAYERS ON WHEN YOU STEP OUT THE DOOR, OR HAVING WARM SHELTERS SET UP THAT IS SO CRITICAL IT CAN MEAN LIFE OR DEATH. IN 2023, THE CDC TRACKED MORE THAN A THOUSAND DEATHS BECAUSE OF EXCESSIVE COLD EXPOSURE OR HYPOTHERMIA. NEARLY 20% IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY ALONE. MOST OF THAT OFTEN WEIGHS ON OUR MOST VULNERABLE RIGHT OLDER ADULTS, YOUNGER CHILDREN AND THE UNHOUSED. ACROSS THE UPSTATE. THIS WEEKEND, WE SAW HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS BAND TOGETHER TO OFFER WARMTH TO THOSE WHO NEEDED IT MOST. AT EACH ONE OF THEM, HUNDREDS SHOWED UP. THEY STAYED OPEN 24 HOURS UNTIL THE STORM SUBSIDED, AND NOW THEY’LL RETURN TO THAT NORMAL SCHEDULE, OPENING AT 8 P.M. EVERY NIGHT. AS LONG AS THESE TEMPERATURES STAY BELOW 40 DEGREES, AND THEN THEY CLOSE DURING THE DAY TO RESET. THIS HAS BEEN A CONTINUOUS EFFORT HERE AT MIRACLE HILL MINISTRIES SINCE OCTOBER, SO WE GIVE THE PLACE A GOOD CLEANING. WE SET OUR TABLES, WE HAVE THE KITCHEN PREPARING A BIG MEAL FOR THE GUYS, JUST GETTING READY TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR A WHITE FLAG ON THE HORIZON. THAT USUALLY MEANS THAT THEY’RE STAYING OPEN FOR THE NIGHT AND THEY’RE OFFERING FOOD, SHELTER, AND SUPPLIES THAT ENTIRE TIME. THIS IS, OF COURSE, IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE COMMUNITY. SO DURING ALL OF THIS, THEY’RE STILL ASKING FOR VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS. YOU CAN FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH THAT AT MIRACLE HILL MINISTRIES REPORTING IN GREENVILLE, CAITLIN ASHBAUGH WYFF NEWS FOUR. CAITLIN THANK YOU. TODAY, SKY4 FLEW OVER PARTS OF WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA AS CLEANUP FROM THE WINTER STORM CONTINUES. HENDERSONVILLE SAW THE MOST POWER OUTAGES IN THE MOUNTAINS DURING THE ICE STORM. HOWEVER, POWER HAS SINCE BEEN RESTORED TO MOST PEOPLE, AND THE COUNTY’S STATE OF EMERGENCY HAS BEEN LIFTED. WE’RE TOLD THE HENDERSON COUNTY EMERGENCY SHELTER WILL CLOSE AT NOON TOMORROW, AND REMEMBER, FOR THE LATEST SCHOOL CLOSINGS, BUSINESS CLOSINGS, POWER OUTAGES, FORECAST EV
What’s that smell? Officials address strong odor reported in area of Upstate
UPDATE: Shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, the Greenville County Emergency Management Division said Williams Gas Pipelines’ operations teams have remediated the area affected; however, lingering odors may remain present and could continue to migrate north and east. If the smell persists for an extended period, please contact your local emergency services.Keep up with what’s happening around our area by downloading the WYFF News 4 app on the App Store or Google Play.Previous Coverage:Officials have addressed reports of a strong odor in an area of the Upstate after receiving numerous 911 calls on Tuesday afternoon.The Spartanburg Police Department is aware of reports regarding a strong odor that some may be calling in as a possible gas leak.According to the Greenville County Emergency Management Division, during routine maintenance at a Williams Gas Pipelines meter station in Greenville County, a release of an odorant (mercaptan) occurred. No natural gas was released.Mercaptan is a sulfur-containing organic compound that is intentionally added to natural gas so leaks can be detected by smell. The odor is often described as rotten eggs or cabbage.The mercaptan odorant leak is migrated to the north and east into Spartanburg and Laurens counties.Officials said if you smell the odor, there is no cause for alarm. The odor poses no threat and a 911 call is not needed.Crews are currently working to mitigate the leak. You may notice a “rotten egg” smell in the area.
UPDATE: Shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday, the Greenville County Emergency Management Division said Williams Gas Pipelines’ operations teams have remediated the area affected; however, lingering odors may remain present and could continue to migrate north and east. If the smell persists for an extended period, please contact your local emergency services.
Keep up with what’s happening around our area by downloading the WYFF News 4 app on the App Store or Google Play.
Previous Coverage:
Officials have addressed reports of a strong odor in an area of the Upstate after receiving numerous 911 calls on Tuesday afternoon.
The Spartanburg Police Department is aware of reports regarding a strong odor that some may be calling in as a possible gas leak.
According to the Greenville County Emergency Management Division, during routine maintenance at a Williams Gas Pipelines meter station in Greenville County, a release of an odorant (mercaptan) occurred. No natural gas was released.
Mercaptan is a sulfur-containing organic compound that is intentionally added to natural gas so leaks can be detected by smell. The odor is often described as rotten eggs or cabbage.
The mercaptan odorant leak is migrated to the north and east into Spartanburg and Laurens counties.
Officials said if you smell the odor, there is no cause for alarm. The odor poses no threat and a 911 call is not needed.
Crews are currently working to mitigate the leak. You may notice a “rotten egg” smell in the area.