COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) - Despite the first day of school approaching for many Midlands school districts, delays and cancellations are being announced ahead of Tropical Storm Debby.
Businesses around the area have also announced closures as they prepare for the storm’s arrival.
Debby is anticipated to bring potential heavy rains, flooding and gusty winds this week in the Palmetto State, Florida and Georgia.
See below for a list of closures and cancellations:
Schools
Calhoun County School District
School district officials announced they will shift to e-learning on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Clarendon County School District
School district officials announced they will reopen schools on Friday with a two-hour delay.
Students who live on the following roads and have difficulty reaching their bus are asked to access their assignments via Google Classroom:
- Knowlton Road
- Corner Road
- White Road
- Rivers Road
- Shadewater Road
- Arlen Road
- Coskrey Road
- Grasshopper Road
- Tennessee Road
Fairfield County School District
Fairfield County SchoolDistrict will operate on atwo-hour delay scheduleon Friday.
Kershaw County School District
School district officials announced they will shift to e-learning on Thursday.
Lee County School District
District officials said they will continue to conduct school through e-learning on Friday. Updates will be sent via our automated telephone call system, district website, district Facebook page and social media.
Lexington School District One
School officials announced Lexington One schools and offices will be closed on Thursday. All afterschool activities and sports are also canceled. No decision has been made yet for Friday.
Lexington School District Two
Lexington Two has announced schools will be closed on Thursday due to forecasts of substantial rain and gusting winds, with some of the heaviest expected in the morning hours when buses and drivers would be on the roads.
Lexington School District Three
School on Thursday has been shifted to an e-learning day.
Lexington School District Four
School district officials canceled school on Thursday. The district will make it up as an e-learning day later in the year. All other activities are also canceled.
Lexington-Richland School District Five
School district officials announced schools and offices, including the FIVE virtual program, will be closed on Thursday. The first day of school will be on Friday and a “B” day. All after-school extracurricular activities are canceled.
School District of Newberry County
School district officials said the school will operate on a regular schedule on Wednesday and Thursday.
Orangeburg County School District
School district officials announced they will reopen schools on Friday with a two-hour delay. Students who ride the bus are asked to report to their bus stops one hour later than usual, car riders are also asked to come to school an hour later. All OCSD staff members are asked to report at their normal time.
Richland County School District One
Richland One schools and administrative offices will be closed on Thursday. Schools will operate on a two-hour delayed start on Friday.
Richland County School District Two
Richland Two schools and district offices will resume a normal operating schedule on Friday. Schools will start at their normal times and buses will run on their regular schedules. All before and after-school activities will resume on their normal schedules as well.
School start times:
Elementary: 7:40 a.m.
Middle: 8:20 a.m.
High: 8:50 a.m. (9 a.m. Westwood High)
School district officials said students will make up missed instructional time on October 18 via an asynchronous e-learning day.
Sumter School District
School district officials announced they will reopen schools on Friday with a one-hour delay (8:40 a.m.). Students who ride the bus are asked to report to their bus stops one hour later than usual, car riders are also asked to come to school an hour later. Employees who have not been notified otherwise should also report to work one hour later than usual.
Colleges
Midlands Technical College
The college announced all Midlands Technical College campuses will be closed on Thursday.
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College
The college will remain closed on Thursday. Officials said further updates will be announced on their website and social media.
South Carolina State University
The university will resume normal operations on Thursday at noon. Move-in dates for new and returning students will remain.
Businesses
Cayce
- The City of Cayce announced they will close all parks, including the Cayce Riverwalk from Tuesday through the rest of the week. Officials said the Cayce Parks Department will work to reopen them once water levels recede. Other updates can be found here.
Tips and more information on how to prepare for the storm can be found here.
- Cayce City Hall and the Cayce Municipal Couty will be closed on Thursday. Officials encouraged the residents to call 911 for an emergency and 803-794-0456 for non-emergencies. Cayce sanitation routes that normally run on Thursday mornings will be picked up on Friday.
Columbia
- The City of Columbia has released a list of flood-prone streets and intersections you should avoid during the storm.
They are:
- Adger and Devine
- Barnwell and Pendleton
- Blossom and Henderson
- Blossom and Pickens
- Blossom and Saluda
- Bull and Calhoun
- Bull and Laurel
- Cannon (3300 block)
- Catawba (1200 block)
- Columbia College Drive and North Main
- Duncan (3200 block)
- Franklin and Marion
- Franklin and Sumter
- Gervais and Laurens
- Harden and Calhoun
- Harden and Read
- Harden and Santee
- Heyward and Ravenel
- Main and Catawba
- Main and Whaley
- Monroe (entire 3200 block)
- Monroe and Maple
- Pickens between Wheat and Green
- Sumter (300 block)
- Wheat (1400 block)
- Wheat and Amherst
- Wheat and Pickens
- Wheat and Sumter
- All Richland County Recreation Commission facilities will close on Tuesday. These include:
- All RCRC facilities (parks, pools, community centers) will be closed on Tuesday.
- RCRC Administrative building will close at noon on Tuesday.
- All National Night Out Events have been postponed until further notice.
- All RCRC Athletics Programs and Leagues will be canceled on Tuesday and Wednesday.
- All facility rentals have been suspended until further notice.
- LinRick Golf Course and all RCRC fields will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday.
- The Richland Library also announced they will be closed Thursday, August 8, due to impending inclement weather conditions. All library events and meeting room reservations will be canceled.
West Columbia
- The City of West Columbia announced all city parks will be closed on Tuesday. The City will notify you when the parks will reopen.
- City Hall will be closed and Meeting Street Artisan Market is canceled on Thursday.
- All West Columbia Municipal Court cases scheduled for Thursday are rescheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 10 at 2 p.m.
- Household Garbage, recycling, and yard trash routes set for Thursday will run on Friday.
Click here to see additional closures that have been reported to WIS as well as register your school or business with us.
This story will be updated as new information comes in. Check back here for updates.
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