Shelter Update: Community shelters are being consolidated at this time. The Red Cross Shelter at Paul Knox Middle School remains open for families in need.
Tonight, Oct. 4, at 6PM, Public Sheltering for Aiken County will open at Paul Knox Middle (PKMS) and Aiken High (AHS). PKMS: 1804 Wells Road, North Augusta; (enter Wells Rd. and Pisgah Ave.); AHS: 449 Rutland Dr., Aiken (enter Taylor Gym).
To help ensure that the information available through websites and social media posts from local Emergency Management Operations officials, Chambers of Commerce, public safety and media outlets are able to be seen by families with limited access to the internet, we are resharing through our school system-managed platforms. We hope that this is helpful to those needing access to water, ice, food, information, and other resources.
The availability of resources included below is not guaranteed, please verify that the resources are still available. Much of this information is being shared from posts made on social media platforms from media stories, as well as the following sites:
Aiken Chamber of Commerce
https://www.facebook.com/AikenChamber/
CSRA United Way
https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWayoftheCSRA/
United Way of Aiken County
Phone lines and internet are down at the office. Message this Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/uwaiken/
North Augusta Chamber of Commerce
https://www.facebook.com/GNACOC/
FOOD/WATER
Salvation Army Feeding Sites:
• Salvation Army Soup Kitchen-604 Park Ave., Aiken
• YMCA- 621 Trolley Line Rd., Graniteville
• KJs in Edgefield- 155 Carolina Sq., Edgefield
The North Augusta Community Center, 495 Brookside Ave, will be opening for handing out water and food until 5pm or while supplies last.
Golden Harvest Food/Ice Distribution Site (Oct 2): National Wild Turkey Federation, 770 Augusta Rd., Edgefield @ 2pm
Hub for Community Innovation Augusta 631 Chafee Ave from 4:00-5:00PM (Oct 2)
The Salvation Army Kroc Center of Augusta 1833 Broad St at 4:00PM (Oct 2)
Center of Hope 1384 Greene St at 5:30PM (Oct 2)
Ridge Spring-Monetta schools will serve hot food and bottled water will be available at no charge starting Wednesday, around 4 p.m. at Monetta Volunteer Fire Department.
Water Via the New Holland Volunteer Fire Department:
If you need water for flushing toilets, washing we have non-potable well water at our HQ station at 2243 Old Ninty Six Indian trail. The hose is on left side of bay building. Please do not block driveway to trucks. - Chief Dennis Jackson
South Carolina Rural Water
For small water districts needing assistance, call Nick Rubin 864-617-3169.
SHELTER
True Testament Church
• 1031 Reynolds Pond RD, Aiken SC 29801
• 803-295-9800
Jet Middle School
• 1095 Columbia HWY, Johnston, SC 29832
POWER
While power companies attempt to restore power, having main power shut off at the house, with lines connected to a house, which were taken down by a tree, would help with tree removal and power line issues.
Once power is restored, please leave your front porch lights on which shows utility workers that power has been restored.
Candles - Place candles in safe holders away from anything that could catch fire. Never leave a burning candle unattended.
Wednesday Morning (October 2) Update from Aiken Electric Co-Op & Dominion Energy provided by our local legislative delegation:
AEC’s outage management system is up and running.
There currently have 22,757 meters without power. There are 140 AEC employees and 50 fiber contractors reconnecting members. Additionally, 340 contractors are working on the Co-Op system and another 100 arrive tomorrow. This weekend, the total number of contractors working to restore power should be 600.
Dominion reports that in Aiken County they have restored service to 26,000 customers with 34,000 still without power. Dominion says there should be a lot more connections made today.
Dominion Energy
o Power Outage: 888-333-4465
o Downed Lines: 888-333-4465
o Gas Leaks: 800-815-0083
Aiken Electric Co-Op: 877-264-5368
DRIVING
With many traffic signals remaining with no power, please treat those intersections same as a four way STOP intersection.
CHARGING STATIONS/SHOWERS
(please bring your own toiletries/towels)
YMCA – Aiken & North Augusta
• 621 Trolley Line RD, Graniteville, SC 29829
• 401 W Martintown RD Suite 111, North Augusta, SC 29841
CHARGING STATIONS/ICE
SRP Park will have charging stations set up by our main gate. At 3pm we will begin distributing ice, 1 10lb bag per person, until we once again run out.
COMMUNITY EVENT
This Thursday, October 3rd, from 3:30 - 6:30 p.m., Cedar Creek Church is hosting a Family Hangout at the Banks Mill Campus of Cedar Creek Church. This will be a time for all families to connect, play games, enjoy each other’s company. Snacks, drinks, and charging stations will be available, and the worship center will be open for anyone seeking quiet time for prayer or meditation
Wonderful news, Busbee Families! We have NO LATE BUSSES today! Thanks to all hands on deck for getting students home on time today and out of this weather. We are appreciative of everyone who is coming to help drive and get students home!
We would like to take a few minutes to highlight another excellent Busbee Bulldog! HJ is a third grader here at Busbee, and he is pictured with his teachers, Ms. Farkas and Ms. Wooten. HJ's favorite food is corn dogs, he's good at baseball, and he wants to go to Hawaii! When he grows up, he wants to be a police officer. We are so glad to have HJ here with us at Busbee!
ACPSD Changes Due to Hurricane Helene - Due to the potential impact of Hurricane Helene, which is forecasted to make landfall in the Gulf of Mexico today and arrive in Aiken County late tomorrow afternoon, Aiken County Public Schools has several changes to the remainder of this school week to announce.
All after school activities tomorrow, Thursday, September 26, are cancelled. This includes athletics, arts, meetings planned for after school, and Quest Zone.
Friday, September 27, will be an e-learning day for all students. Teachers and staff will work remotely on Friday.
We recognize that several high schools have athletic events this week, including some with Homecoming. Some of those schools have moved their football games to this evening. Others are planning to host their games Friday night after the storm passes through. Should the weather necessitate a change to those plans, additional information will be shared by our high schools directly.
We apologize for the disruption that this change will cause to our students and families and, as always, appreciate the flexibility and cooperation of our school community.
Please stay tuned to local weather precautions and follow recommendations to keep your family safe.
It's time for another Busbee Bulldog Highlight! Today we would like to showcase our sweet Genesis! She is pictured here with her teacher, Mrs. Triplett, who says Genesis is "such a sweetheart" and a joy to teach. Genesis's favorite thing to do is play with her sister, her favorite food is pineapple, and she wants to go to Japan! If she had a superpower, she would want to be able to freeze things into ice. We are so thankful to have Genesis here at Busbee 💙🐾
Our pledge leaders for this week are Dustin, Mariah, and Sophia! They have been doing a fantastic job leading our students in the Pledge of Allegiance, the SC Pledge, and the Bulldog Pledge!
Friday, September 27th is Fall Picture Day. No money is due on picture day, a portrait proof will be sent home from the school with information on how to order (allow 3-4 weeks).
It's time for another Busbee Bulldog highlight! 🐾💙 Zoey is a 5K student here at Busbee, and she is pictured with her teacher, Ms. Sawyer and our Paraprofessional of the Month, Ms. Bourn! Zoey's likes to play with monster toys, she's really good at hide-and-seek, she's working hard to learn her letters, and her one wish is to be a unicorn! 🦄 🐾💙🔤 We are so thankful you are here with us at Busbee, Zoey!
Today we would like to highlight another one of our favorite Busbee Bulldogs, Dustin! Dustin is a 4th grader here at Busbee, and he is pictured with his teachers Ms. McCollum, Ms. Swartz, Mrs. Robinson, and Ms. Key-Lott. Dustin's favorite subject is science, and when he grows up he wants to be a YouTuber and make lots of money! 💵 If he had one superpower, it would be to be able to time travel. We are glad to have Dustin here with us at Busbee! 🐾💙
Our Busbee pledge leaders for this week are Ellie, Tyrin, and Bradley! We are so excited for these 5th graders to lead us in the pledges all week! 💙🇺🇸❤️
Busbee SRO Officer Rushton and Officer Milo have been showing off their reading skills. Here they are with Ms. Triplett's first-grade class. We wonder which class they will visit next week 👀🐾💙📚
Who smiles bigger--Mr. Mathews or you?!
We at Busbee Elementary are thankful everyday for the smiles and love we get from our Principal, Mr. Matthews 💙🐾💙
Ensuring the Safety of Our Schools: Addressing Recent Rumors - We are aware of misinformation circulating throughout our schools and communities regarding rumored incidents of school violence at various campuses within our district.
Please know that these messages are being reposted and reshared at schools throughout our district and at schools throughout the state. Your children’s safety is our top priority. We take all threats seriously and work in collaboration with law enforcement to fully investigate each and every rumor and/or post that is shared. There is no active threat impacting the safety and security of any of our school campuses.
Rumors of this nature cause a great deal of concern, stress and anxiety. When those are shared on social media, the impact is far-reaching, and causes unnecessary concern for other parents, students, and staff, and divert critical resources away from genuine safety and security efforts.
If ever there is an actual incident of school violence at your child’s school or if a threat of violence at your child’s school warrants your attention, school and/or district communications will notify you. We are committed to sharing accurate information as quickly as situations allow.
We hope to never have to notify you of an actual event of school violence, and we are fully committed to maintaining the safety and security of our schools through a variety of safety measures and close collaboration with local law enforcement.
If you or your student ever have a safety concern, or if you hear a rumor of a safety concern, we ask that you immediately notify the appropriate authorities. This includes local law enforcement and the administration at the district office or the school involved.
Thank you for your support as we work together to keep our schools, and your children safe.
Our Bulldog friend Adelynn got her first Busbee's Best today for helping a friend during PE. We are so proud of you, Adelynn! 🐾💙
Today we would like to highlight one of our Busbee Bulldogs, TreDarius! TreDarius is a 2nd grader here at Busbee, and he's pictured here with Milo, and his teachers Ms. Templeton, Ms. Burgess, and Ms. Phillips. His favorite color is blue 💙 his favorite movie is Transformers, and his favorite thing to eat is school breakfast 🥞🥣 Thanks for being a great Bulldog, TreDarius!
Big thank you to our Wagener-Salley Football and Volleyball War Eagles for helping with carline this morning 🦅 We love it when they come to help 🚗🚙
We are cheering them on tonight as they take on Allendale and Ridge Spring! Play hard War Eagles! ❤️💙🦅 🐾💙❤️
We had some great help this morning in carline! The Wagener-Salley Volleyball team does a great job helping us open doors and greet students. We wish them luck in every game they play! Not pictured are Payton and Makenley who also helped us this morning! Play well, girls! ❤️💙🏐🐾🦅💙❤️
We would like to highlight a great Busbee Bulldog! Dallis Kate is a 3rd grade student here at Busbee and is pictured with her teachers Ms. Farkas and Ms. Wooten. Dallis Kate's favorite place is Nona and Pops, she says she's really good at softball, and if she could have a super-power it would be to have laser eyes.
Thanks for being a great Bulldog, Dallis Kate! 🐾💙
