BAMBERG, S.C. — More than a year after an EF-2 tornado struck downtown Bamberg, the town continues to grapple with the aftermath. While the main highway has reopened, residents say recovery is slow, and life has not returned to normal.
"I hope this year we move forward a little faster than we’ve been going," said Bamberg County resident Donna Driggins.
The tornado hit in January 2024 and caused extensive damage to businesses and buildings along the town's main thoroughfare. While much of the debris has been cleared, many say the recovery process is far from complete.
"It’s upsetting that a lot of the places we shopped at, ate at, some of them haven’t fully re-opened back to full business," Driggins said. "You know, the restaurants— a few of them only do call-ins, you can’t go inside. So between COVID, the tornado, and the hurricane, all that came through here."
Others, like Lillie Shepard, remain hopeful but express frustration with the slow pace of recovery.
"I don’t think we really recovered. We have not recovered from all that tornado stuff going through Bamberg. It tore down everything," Shepard said. "We don’t have anything. We’ve just got the one grocery store and no shopping places—nothing but Family Dollar and Dollar General and the little stores. We don’t have a major shopping place."
In response to the ongoing recovery efforts, Bamberg County released a statement to News 19, noting that while insurance reimbursements have not been received, the county is still moving forward with significant developments.
"Bamberg County continues to recover from the devastating effects of the EF-2 tornado that touched down last January 2024. And in spite of not receiving any insurance reimbursements, Bamberg County continues to move forward with the grand opening of the new Holmans Bridge Fire Station in Denmark and the water tower project benefiting first responders and homeowners in the Denmark area, who now are able to receive homeowner insurance discounts. We’re thankful for our resilient community," the statement said.