Hurricane Helene left a wake of damage across Upstate South Carolina like some residents had never experienced. Downed trees blocked driveways and roads, power lines were down across entire neighborhoods and cities, over 600,000 residents found themselves without power and many were trapped in their homes. That’s when the team at RCS Grading stepped up to help.
Hurricane Helene paralyzed Greenville, SC. While North Carolina dealt with flooding, South Carolina was littered with downed trees: obstacles that blocked driveways, roads, and entire neighborhoods.
Homeowners found themselves trapped in their homes, unable to reach main roads. Nearly 1 million customers across the Upstate lost power, and Spartanburg County was left completely without electricity or functioning traffic infrastructure for days. For residents who couldn’t leave their homes, that meant going without fresh food and water for as long as the roads stayed blocked. Simple errands became hours-long tasks. One RCS team member’s seven-minute store run turned into a four-hour excursion; that’s how long it took to find a clear route to his neighborhood corner market.
For RCS leadership, the response wasn’t planned. It was natural to help their neighbors and community, especially with the equipment and people already in place. The only question was how fast they could get out there.
“We had the resources, and we weren’t afraid to use them to help our community.”
– Mike Woelkers, Punch List Superintendent
RCS was lucky: the company’s jobsites took minimal damage, but the ground was too wet to work. Chris Sneed, the owner and CFO, made the call: send crews to clear neighborhoods, so they could help the community instead of losing hours on the clock. RCS partnered with Spartanburg County to identify the hardest-hit neighborhoods and got to work.
RCS crews, armed with chainsaws and a small excavator, spent two weeks working through Greer and Spartanburg, clearing driveways and roads so people could get out of their homes again. The team helped dozens of homeowners and several local businesses whose properties also needed help.
The work wasn’t always easy and straightforward: roads were blocked in multiple directions and some sites still had downed live powerlines. Crews had to work carefully around hazards that weren’t always visible until they were up close. If a crew came across someone who needed help along the way, whether or not they were on the list, they stopped and helped.
That’s the mindset behind everything RCS does. “Move Dirt. Grow People.” isn’t just a slogan. It’s why RCS Grading didn’t hesitate when the community needed them most.
For one homeowner in Spartanburg, a fallen tree in her driveway meant she was stuck alone for days without power. When the RCS crew finally cleared the path, she came outside in tears. She’d been unable to get out for food and water, and she was overwhelmed just to have a way to get to the store.
Moments like that are why RCS Grading exists beyond the jobsite. It’s the same spirit behind the Grow People Fund, RCS’s 501(c)(3): showing up for and investing in the people who make this community what it is, on or off the clock.
Interested in partnering with or donating to the Grow People Fund? Visit our Grow People Fund page.
