IN TV: Celebrities unite for hurricane relief fundraising special B7 NATION U.S. honors victims of 9/11 with ceremonies TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 | Serving South Carolina since October 15, 1894 75 cents A4 Red Cross volunteers Irma keeps help shelter evacuees spreading misery with its damage BY TAMARA LUSH The Associated Press TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Irma weakened into a still-dangerous tropical storm Monday as it pushed inland, triggering record flooding in Florida’s northeastern corner, while rescuers in its soggy, wind-battered wake mobilized to reach victims and learn the full extent of the damage. The storm engulfed nearly the entire Florida peninsula, wreaking havoc from the state’s southernmost point up to the Georgia line, from the Atlantic coast to the Gulf side. It swamped homes, uprooted massive trees, flood- ed streets, cast boats ashore, snapped miles of power lines and toppled construction cranes. “How are we going to survive from here?” asked Gwen Bush, who waded through thigh- deep floodwaters outside her central Florida home to reach National Guard rescuers and get a ride to a shelter. “What’s going to happen now? I just don’t know.” More than 6.5 million homes and businesses statewide lost power, and 220,000 people hud- dled in shelters. Officials warned it could take weeks for electricity to be restored to everyone. One death in Florida, that of a man killed in an auto accident during the storm, was blamed on Irma. At least 36 people were left dead in the storm’s wake across the Caribbean. By Monday morning, Irma — at one point the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in IVY MOORE / THE SUMTER ITEM the open Atlantic, with winds up to 185 mph — Sumter County Department of Social Services staff registered evacuees coming in to the Red Cross Shelter at Crest- was downgraded to a tropical storm, with wood High School on Sunday night and Monday. Here a new arrival looks through the bag of toiletries provided by winds of 60 mph. the Red Cross and presented to her by the shelter manager, Steve Shumake, standing. From left, the DSS staff are Irma’s wrath in the Sunshine State stretched Janice Portee, Kristie Leahey and Shatola Allen. hundreds of miles. In the Keys, where the storm roared ashore Sunday morning with winds of 130 mph, video 2 dozen staying at high school for safety during storm showed houses shoved from their foundations and boats tossed onto the pavement. BY IVY MOORE ‘I just wanted to be safe said there were 25 people staying Emergency managers there declared “the [email protected] in the shelter as of Monday Keys are not open for business” and warned this time. I have a morning. that there was no fuel, electricity, running It was Hurricane Matthew that “We’re the only shelter in Sum- sent Whitney Skinner to the ter County,” he said. “We also SEE IRMA, PAGE A5 American Red Cross shelter at 7-year-old son, and have them at Scott’s Branch High Crestwood High School on Sun- School in Summerton, Manning day evening. Conditions were his safety is my first High School and East Clarendon rapidly deteriorating, and heavy in Turbeville.” rains and high winds caused by concern.’ Shumake said that 99 percent Hurricane Irma were predicted of the Red Cross were volunteers for Sumter. WHITNEY SKINNER who had been “shipped out to “I just wanted to be safe this Florida.” time,” Skin- Crestwood High School Assisting Shumake were other ner said. “I volunteers, Martin Nolan and LOCAL have a 7-year- shelter resident Thomas Nissen. The three of CLOSINGS old son, and them, along with some others his safety is overnight, provided their guests See a list of local my first con- time the power went out, and we with “a safe place to stay out of closings because of Hurricane Irma cern.” sat in the dark house for several harm’s way, cots, blankets, lunch, on page A2. The Octo- days. The food went bad, but dinner and breakfast,” Shumake ber 2016 Mat- mostly we were just scared of said. Several of them were from thew fright- what might happen, so we came out of state, but most were from ened the two here just in case.” nearby areas, he said. of them enough to evacuate to Once Skinner and her son, Da- “Some have safety issues, some Crestwood at 2000 Oswego Road mian, got to the shelter, they both have vulnerabilities, and some as soon as the shelter opened on felt secure, she said. are just fearful of possibilities,” Sunday. Shelter manager Steve Shu- he said. “We have some who THE ASSOCIATED PRESS “We have big trees around the make, a volunteer with the Red An American flag is torn as Hurricane Irma passes house,” she said, “and the last Cross Sandhills Service Center, SEE SHELTER, PAGE A5 through Naples, Florida, on Sunday. Fathers coalition hosts 1st ‘fun day’ for children, parents BY JIM HILLEY ing booth. lives and their families, ac- On Saturday, tables were set violence,” she said. [email protected] Keith Ivey, director of the cording to www.scfathersand- up with information about Amiker said domestic vio- group’s activities in Sumter, families.com. such groups as the YWCA, lence is a bad problem in The Midlands Fatherhood Lee and Clarendon counties, “We are devoted to helping Wateree Community Action Sumter, and the coalition has Coalition had its First Annual said the event was not only men heal broken spirits and Agency, Girl Scouts and the reached out to deal with some Family Day on Saturday at meant to be family oriented family relations, practice Diamonds Teen Pregnancy of the problems. South HOPE Center, 1124 S. and fun, but to also help intro- healthy parenting and gain Program. “They are one of the few Lafayette Drive. duce clients to some of the productive, stable employ- Cleo McDonald Amiker said groups who are actually ad- A grill was set up to cook agencies that can provide ser- ment,” according to the web- the coalition has been a good dressing domestic violence hot dogs and hamburgers, and vices to them. site. “We know that when fa- partner with the YWCA. concerns,” she said. “They children could play games, The coalition offers educa- thers succeed in their father- “We do quite a bit of work are very passionate about it, visit a game truck or watch tion and services tailored for ing role, their children with them and assist them victims get soaked in a dunk- fathers trying to rebuild their thrive.” with issues such as domestic SEE COALITION, PAGE A5 VISIT US ONLINE AT DEATHS, B5 WEATHER, A8 INSIDE Betty Lou C. Thames Robert Conner BACK IN THE 80s 2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES the .com VOL. 122, NO. 236 Flora Moye Ardis Alice L. Young Some sun, breezy and warmer Betty Ann Lucas Ruth R. Tisdale today; partly cloudy tonight Classifieds B8 Sports B1 Johnny Heyward James R. Battista HIGH 84, LOW 64 Comics B6 Television B7 Robert Mack Jr. Opinion A7 A2 | TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2017 THE SUMTER ITEM Call: (803) 774-1226 | E-mail: [email protected] Lead more active lifestyles, group urges BY JIM HILLEY [email protected] Helping people lead more active life- styles by walking and biking is the goal of Sumter County Active Lifestyles. To promote that goal, the group has events such as Saturday’s Grandparents Day Walk held at Patriot Park. The organization tries to sponsor some sort of event every month, Execu- tive Director Catherine Blumberg said. She said they schedule their walks at different lo- cations and times of the day so more people can become involved. “We like to introduce people to the different places to be active,” she GRIFFIN said. Previous walks have been at such places as Dillon Park and the Cypress Trail, she said. Sue Griffin of Sumter, who participat- ed in Saturday's Grandparents Day Walk, said she was surprised that Patri- ot Park has such a nice walking area after following SCAL’s one-mile course around the ponds at the park. “The walk was beautiful through the forest and the pond,” Griffin said. She was unable to bring her grand- children, however. “Of course, they had soccer,” she ex- plained. JIM HILLEY / THE SUMTER ITEM Several activities were available at the Monica Jackson, right, walks with her grandparents at the Grandparents Day Walk sponsored by Sumter County Active Lifestyles at walk to entertain children, including Patriot Park on Saturday. Hula Hoops, throwing games as well as snacks and drinks. SCAL was started in 1999, Blumburg years ago, but we had enough volun- funded by donations, Blumberg said. but the details haven’t been worked out. said, and originally was funded by gov- teers who wanted to see it continue,” SCAL volunteer Deanna Anderson "That should be a lot of fun," she said. ernment grants. she said. said the group was planning a costume For more information, call (803) 774- “We lost our grant funding about four Today, the nonprofit organization is walk for downtown Sumter on Oct. 21, 3860. Sumter County Council to consider IRMA CLOSINGS / CHANGES FROM STAFF REPORTS scheduled for today is can- 3rd reading on sheriff’s proposal As of press time, the fol- celed. Contact: Patrice. lowing cancellations or [email protected] FROM STAFF REPORTS changes were made because • All City of Sumter sani- $50, and the minimum cost for commercial of Hurricane Irma: tation services (trash pick- Sumter County Council will meet at 6 p.m. building permits will increase from $45 to $60.