NEWBERRY, S.C. (WIS) - In his nearly five decades working in the power industry, Newberry Electric Cooperative President and CEO Keith Avery pays closer attention to the TV in his office, tracking a pair of storms brewing in the tropics, than ever before.

Hurricanes normally don’t have much of an impact on Newberry Electric’s service area, tucked into the Midlands and part of the Upstate, and hours away from the coast.

Then came Helene, one year ago.

“We kind of had to react instead of being proactive like we would normally do,” Avery said.

South Carolina utilities admit that while they prepare for storms, this one caught them off guard when it arrived in the state with such fury the morning of Sept. 27, 2024, after making landfall in Florida the day before.

“I don’t think we anticipa

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