City of Greenville, South Carolina

Turning a simple craving into a savory staple. 💚 Lazaro and Shadid Montoto, founders of Tropical Grille, are sharing the tastes of Cuba with #GreenvilleSC. During #HispanicHeritageMonth, we introduce you to members of our community making a difference in business, art, education and public service. For these entrepreneurs and restauranteurs, a growing hispanic population enriches our flavor and elevates our cultural diversity.

TWO WEEKS. Two weeks ago today we woke up to find the wreckage of Helene. To reflect on how far we've come we decided to pull up the timeline and some of the photos that best reflect the journey. Friday (9/27): Wind gusts over 70 mph toppled trees and powerlines. 7+ inches of rain caused flash floods. City parks closed and weekend events are canceled. Saturday (9/28): Power outages are widespread. Traffic lights are out making driving conditions hazardous. Residents are asked to stay home. Sunday (9/29): An additional 2000 Duke Energy linemen and contractors arrive to repair significant damage to infrastructure. Monday (9/30): City traffic crews add 50 generators to power signals. A debris hauler begins storm waste pickup. Garbage collection returns on schedule. Tuesday (10/1): All 146 streets classified as "priority" are clear thanks to Public Works and GCFD. Wednesday (10/2): FEMA announces federal disaster assistance to supplement South Carolina recovery efforts. Thursday (10/3): 95% of the traffic signals are operational. All streets blocked by trees are cleared so at least one lane is passable. Friday (10/4): Inspectors visit approx. 300 homes and businesses identified by the federal government as being in the flood plain. The City's section of the Prisma Health Swamp Rabbit Trail is clear and opened. Saturday (10/5): The Greenville Zoo reopens. TD Saturday Market returns to help small business. Building codes works over weekend to issue permits and do inspections. Sunday !0/6): Bucket trucks and saw crews deploy to help Duke Energy speed up power restoration efforts. Monday (10/7): The U.S. Small Business Administration's local disaster relief office opens at Next Innovation Center. Tuesday (10/8): City hosts a Community Resource Fair at Unity Park. The SBA Administrator visits. Wednesday (10/9): AT&T provided a therapy dog to assist first responders. Thursday (10/10): 100k cubic yards of debris collected. Mulching begins.

Colorful light at the end of the tunnel. ✨ Two weeks ago, we woke up to the devastation of Helene. This morning, we celebrate the auroras that lit up our night skies. Let’s continue to recover together. 💚 📸: @alx.lna | @aguyandagoldenn

Connecting our #GreenvilleSC residents with resources 💚 City staff, alongside nearly 50 service organizations, partnered for the CommUNITY Resources Fair at Unity Park. While the event is over, the services are ongoing. If you need assistance with housing, food or other basic needs dial 211. If you're having an emotional crisis or suicidal thoughts, dial 988. Find other disaster recovery resources on our website: https://lnkd.in/eez6PxaG

RETURNING TO NORMAL. FEELING THUNDERSTRUCK. It's been just over two weeks since a microburst hit #GreenvilleSC and just shy of two weeks since Helene uprooted our trees and left us powerless. We are creeping back toward normal. We know many of you still don't have internet. It's disruptive to remote work and quality of life. We are in contact with state liaisons and will continue to stress the importance of connectivity. At the same time we are marveling at the things that have continued on schedule. Solid Waste crews have picked up your trash and recycling every day. TD Saturday Market returned last week and will be back again this weekend. Champion Comfort Experts Moonlight Movies are back at Falls Park tonight. The Greenville Zoo is open and safely welcoming guests. AND we're thunderstruck over the amount of storm debris collected. As of last night, our contractors had picked up 85,000 cubic yards which translates into 240 million pounds of branches, limbs and trunks.

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT. Damaged homes, flattened cars, days without power. Natural disaster takes a toll on its victims. It also impacts the first responders. Here in #GreenvilleSC many of the City employees who pulled stranded drivers from flood waters, cleared roads, cut trees and hauled debris, saw damage to their own homes and property. To thank them for their efforts and provide some comfort and stress relief, AT&T brought Dolly, one of their therapy dogs, to our Public Works Campus this week. More about the nationwide program: https://heyor.ca/NAdleK,

RESOURCES TO REBUILD. Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman of the U.S. Small Business Administration visited #GreenvilleSC to assess damage caused by Hurricane Helene. The SBA provides low interest loans to businesses, homeowners, renters and nonprofits. ✅ SBA loans are for losses not covered by insurance or business operating expenses that could have been met had the disaster not occurred. ✅ Physical damage loans cover repairs and replacement of damaged assets. ✅ Mitigation assistance loans allow for improvements to eliminate future damage. During her visit, Guzman toured Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery and stopped by the Greenville assistance office located at 411 University Ridge. Schedule an appointment here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e9-f__29 Learn more about their disaster assistance ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gCiKXvT

WE'RE GRINDING. Storm debris piles are becoming mulch piles. So far our contractors have collected 70+ thousand cubic yards of debris, enough to fill: 🏊🏼♀️ 21 Olympic-sized pools ⚾️ The Greenville Drive's infield 77 times, 3 feet deep 🏟️ Bon Secours Wellness Arena 6 times, 3 feet deep 🏈 and cover 235 Clemson University football "Dabo-trons" 1 foot deep Our contractors carried 1300+ loads in 16 trucks twelve hours a day. We are still collecting. Help us by sorting your debris: https://lnkd.in/eqp7DpA2 Reminder: we are collecting your trash, recyclables and bulk waste on your regular pickup day.

POSTPONING Bank of America Fall for Greenville 🎶🍻🍔 gave us an OPENING for an additional 🍎🐝🥬 TD Saturday Market. With the festival moved to November 8-10, we are putting a market on the schedule for THIS Saturday. 💚 We are grateful to have this platform to support local farmers and provide our community with fresh produce. We will see you on 10/12 from 8 a.m. to noon on Main Street.

HELPING PROPERTY OWNERS WITH RECOVERY. ✅ We are expediting inspections and permits. ✅ Building & Codes is waiving building permit fees for storm damage repairs. ✅ Planning & Development is temporarily waiving the requirements for certificates of appropriateness as long as the work is a like-for-like replacement, or for maintenance and repair. ✅ We're ensuring your contractors are legitimate and your plans are in order. ✅ We have staff available in person, online and by phone from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Call 864-467-4505 option #1 or email permits@greenvillesc.gov