Branchville Rises from the Ruins

It's been 2 months to the day an EF-3 tornado struck this tiny South Carolina Railroad Community. Things have been tough, but as these photos reveal the Orangeburg County village is on the mend.

The street scape project couldn't have come at a worse time, but as seen here, progress is being made.

New prefab buildings have been bought to repair Branch Junction, the center of the annual Raylrode Daze Festival.

The broken shell of Neal Ott's Grocery, but the sign signifies hope.

As this sign promises, the popular Churn food stand will be back!

Breaking: Bomb Threat in Charleston

Goose Creek to be more exact. This is from the Orangeburg T & D:

Authorities closed a highway outside Charleston on Saturday night
after police found a "suspicious item" in a car, Charleston County Sheriff Al
Cannon said.Cannon would not say what the item was, but said a bomb squad
planned to demolish it early Sunday morning. He said the two men who were in the
car were still at the scene at 2 a.m. An FBI agent said officials were trying to
determine whether a crime had been committed.Broadcast outlets reported that
explosives had been found in the trunk of a car during a traffic stop.
Authorities closed the road at about 7 p.m. and federal officials later said
there was "no immediate threat."Goose Creek is home to the Naval Weapons
Station, which houses the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig, a military prison where
enemy combatants have been held. The traffic stop took place about 7 miles from
the sprawling Navy facility

.

Last night we were told the car was driven "by two men of Middle Eastern descent". No mention of that here. I'll update this later as I get more info.

I had a friend in Goose Creek. Hope her and the kids are well.

Update (8:30 PM)-Here's what we know so far:

• 2 Men stopped for speeding about 7 miles from the Naval Weapons Station in Goose Creek, and are being held for allegedly possessing some type of explosive, .
• Bomb techs exploded the device about 2:45 AM this morning.
• Authorities say the explosion made a loud "bang" like a large firecracker.
• The FBI have declared "no immediate threat" to the Weapons Station or the public.

More as it comes in.