Bobby Coleman expressed gratitude Monday afternoon - for the meals he received from his family from the Aiken County Salvation Army but mostly that his family was safe following the horrendous storm and tornado that swept through the Silver Bluff, Beech Island and New Ellenton areas Friday night and Saturday morning.

"Our house is totally smashed, and we had a devil of a time getting everybody out, including my handicapped mother," Coleman said. "Thank God everybody was OK, and we just want to thank everyone for helping us."

The Salvation Army mobile truck and its volunteers have been began serving meals Saturday in front of the Silver Bluff Fire Department on U.S. 278 - its own trucks heavily damaged. The mobile truck has provided three meals a day.

"We're working closely with the Red Cross," said Capt. David Repass. "We want to make sure people can be at home and have something they can eat. The food bank has been helping us, and we've gotten a lot of donations. We just wanted to make sure we got out here to be at the point of need."

Aiken County had the state's most significant damage from the storm, along with Abbeville, Anderson, Greenwood and Union counties. The S.C. Emergency Management Division reported Monday that 49 homes statewide were destroyed, while another 107 suffered major damage. Damage assessments remain ongoing in affected counties.

Red Cross volunteers had closed the shelter at Jackson Middle School Sunday and reopened Monday night at Silver Bluff High School. At 6:30 p.m., the shelter had one person - an elderly woman with health issues, said Kelly Hagens-Swart, a 14-year Red Cross volunteer from Vaucluse. She added that about 200 tarps had been taken to the Beech Island Fire Department, adding to the dozens previously distributed.

Roxanne Argo, an SCE&G spokesperson, said just one resident didn't have power in the area as of Monday afternoon. However, 221 Aiken County homes and businesses did lose power Monday when the county received more rain and windy conditions.

The S.C. Department of Transportation is working on U.S. 278 to clear debris piled on the side of the highway, said David Ruth, the Aiken County emergency preparedness director.

"That should take through the end of the week," he said. "We hope to get close to normal in the next two or three days."

S.C. Rep. Jim Stewart, R-Aiken, visited the area Monday and arrived at the Silver Bluff Fire Department with New Ellenton Mayor Vernon Dunbar.

"We're looking at all the damage to assess what kind of help we can give," Stewart said. "The governor has some discretionary accounts he can use for this type of emergency. I think it will work out."

It would be huge if the state could help the area, said Dunbar.

"It's time for everybody to pull together," he said. "When disaster happens, we're all affected."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.