Tag Archives: Santee Cooper

DHEC Presents 2018 Community Star Awards to Santee Cooper, Brandon Burke

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DHEC’s Office of Environmental Affairs recently presented Community Star Awards to the 2018 award winners. Awarded annually, Community Star recognizes a business, community organization, collaborative partnership, or individual in South Carolina that is going above and beyond environmental requirements to build better community relationships, promote environmental sustainability and resiliency, and/or improve quality of life for communities.

Santee Cooper was awarded the Business Community Star for their strong community presence and a proven track record of environmental excellence. They have several initiatives that have involved the community including the Camp Hall Commerce Park, the Give Oil for Energy Recovery (GOFER) project, and several educational initiatives. Santee Cooper engages citizens and communities throughout the state to promote environmental stewardship and sustainability.

Brandon Burke, a former restaurant general manager in the Charleston area, was awarded the Rising Star Community Star Award for his work with families in the surrounding community who were faced with children with cancer.  All of these efforts were taking place while his own son was battling cancer.

Brandon Burke

Join us in congratulating both of these well deserving recipients.

Community Star nomination period opens May 1. For more information, visit https://www.scdhec.gov/environment/community-star.

DHEC in the News: Lake Busbee, West Nile, Hurricane Hugo

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

 Santee Cooper says it won’t maintain Lake Busbee much longer, even with its uncertain fate

Conway, S.C. (WPDE) — People in Conway, and across the area, are concerned about the future of Lake Busbee.

Some Conway residents said during a meeting on Monday that Santee Cooper needs to do something about the hazards recently reported by the South Carolina Department of Environmental and Control (DHEC).

But, Santee Cooper spokesperson Susan Mungo says the company never agreed to address those issues if someone like the City of Conway was to take control of the man-made lake.

11 cases of West Nile in SC, 1 death in Upstate, DHEC says

GREENVILLE, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) has confirmed eleven human cases of West Nile virus in South Carolina so far this year.

One of the eleven, an individual in Anderson County, died last month. The other human cases were in Beaufort, Greenville, Horry, Richland, Union, and York counties.

General Interest

Lessons learned from Hurricane Hugo 28 years ago still help with today’s storm preparations

As Hurricane Irma wreaked havoc in the Caribbean earlier this month, Keri Wilson kept a close eye on her Folly Beach neighbors.

“When it comes to hurricanes, I don’t mess around,” she said. “I lived through Hugo, but most of my neighbors weren’t here then and some of them weren’t even born yet.”

Thursday marks the 28th anniversary of Hurricane Hugo, which slammed into the South Carolina coast as a Category 4 hurricane overnight on Sept. 21, 1989.