15-04-2025
Five years later, Seneca community reflects on deadly tornado
SENECA, S.C. (WSPA) – On April 13, 2025, Seneca was devastated by the EF-3 tornado.
'I remember getting up, trying to get to the station and from my house to the station is usually about a five minute ride,' said Chief Richie Caudill, Seneca Fire Department. 'It took me probably a half hour to get here. I had three flat tires when I got here. Just trying to get to the station was a completely different deal. All the poles were down in the city with roofs blown off, houses laying in the road, everything was blocked.'
First responders said the EF-3 tornado ripped through the BorgWarner plant, where one employee died.
It didn't take long for reconstruction to start.
'They were quick to get that facility rebuilt and running in record time,' said Jamie Gilbert, CEO of Oconee Economic Alliance. 'I think within 30 days, they were back producing products, and that's really unheard of when you see the damage that the tornado caused.'
The Oconee Economic Alliance said the facility bounced back, even expanding after the storm.
According to the Seneca Fire Department, the beginning of the journey was rough, but it changed the way they do things now for the better.
'We look at the weather a lot closer now,' said Caudill. 'We train and practice and do different things now for collapses and different things that we maybe didn't do as much before.'
Ever since 2020, the phrase 'Seneca Strong' is what the community said they've been clinging onto.
'You knew what that meant. People were helping. Neighbors were helping neighbors. People were helping strangers. It didn't matter. This community knows how to respond, knows how to take care of each other,' said Josh Riches, City of Seneca Assistant Administrator. 'We had an emergency fund, and we used every single bit of that emergency fund. And we're so thankful that we had people who had prepared years ahead of us to put that aside. Because without that, we would have gone bankrupt.'
The city is still waiting on full reimbursement from FEMA for the costs of cleanup from the tornado and Hurricane Helene.
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