BAMBERG, S.C. — After three months, the city of Bamberg has finally opened the heart of downtown, Main Highway.
Paula Dyches-Hutchins owns Paula's Family Restaurant on Main Highway. The tornado in January closed the road.
Many of her customers are out-of-town travelers who use Main Highway to pass through.
"Now that it's getting ready to be summertime and a lot of people coming through coming from Savannah or they're getting off on 95 coming the backroads it's really nice to see people getting out more," said Dyches-Hutchins. "Now that they opened up we have a lot more people they know that I'm here now and they know that I'm up and going. We just have a lot of traffic which I love we've been waiting on it for two months so it's finally here."
Rhonda Stevenson lives in Neeses and travels to Bamberg often. She says having Main Highway open again makes things easier.
"It means a lot because you would have had to go around, just backstreets, just to get here because you couldn't get through because of all the bricks in the road," said Stevenson. "It's much better because I am telling you it was hard to get through, and people that are not from around here didn't know how to manage to get through, you know."
RELATED: Disaster Loan Outreach Center handling tornado damage claims in Bamberg to close Friday, April 12
Cindy Williams lives in Columbia and says she is glad to see the bricks that once sat on the street cleared up.
"They has a lot of nice antique stores and older stores right on Main Street, and it's easier to get to now," said Williams. "It took them long enough, and I am glad it's finally gone."
Henry Cassetta is the team lead for the U.S. Small Business Administration declaration in Bamberg. He says the turnout they have received has been historical.
"We've been solid packed every day from the time we open until the time we close, and it's been a big cross-section; it's not like we're just seeing businesses or homeowners," said Cassetta. "We're seeing everybody across the board, ages, demographics. It's great, it's phenomenal it's one of the best turn outs I've seen in a declaration it's fantastic."
The U.S. Small Business Administration closed its relief center in Bamberg on Friday, but those affected by the tornado can still apply online for relief.