Hurricane Irma: South Carolina Evacuations, Preparations Begin

South Carolina coastal communities started evacuating Thursday as the state’s governor ordered nursing homes and hospitals to remove patients to safer ground and said he would order coastal residents to leave by Saturday morning as the state vigorously prepares for Hurricane Irma’s anticipated landfall.

The news comes as Category 5 Hurricane Irma, the most powerful Atlantic storm on record, continued its push through the Caribbean toward the Florida, Georgia and South Carolina coasts. National Weather Service projections show Irma could weaken slightly to a Category 4 storm when it makes landfall in Florida early Sunday morning. But federal, state and local government and emergency management officials were not taking this storm for granted.

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster ordered all nursing homes, hospitals and other healthcare facilities in coastal areas to began their evacuation Thursday at 2 p.m., The State newspaper reported. The evacuation order affected 143 facilities in Jasper, Beaufort, Colleton, Dorchester, Charleston, Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties, The State said.

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McMaster also said an evacuation order for coastal residents will likely be in place by 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 9, and would initiate lane reversals to facilitate traffic west and out of coastal zones via Interstate 26, the newspaper said.

McMaster also said that all schools and government offices could be closed Monday and Tuesday if the storm sticks to the current forecasted path.

Earlier Thursday, South Carolina Emergency Management (SCEMD) said coastal residents should prepare for the possibility of evacuations by securing their home, preparing emergency supplies and having a planned destination.

SCEMD said Palmetto State residents living in the upstate and midlands should prepare for high wind, heavy rain and the possibility of tornadoes and flooding.

Thursday, President Trump declared an emergency in South Carolina, authorizing Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate relief efforts. The designation means that 75 percent of the cost of emergency protective measures will be paid by the Federal government.

“This action will help alleviate the hardship and suffering that the emergency may inflict on the local population, and provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property, and ensure public health and safety, and to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in all 46 South Carolina counties and the Catawba Indian Nation,” the White House said in a Sept. 7 statement.

In Georgia, mandatory evacuations begin Saturday for the Savannah area as Irma continues is expected to hit on Monday. On Thursday, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal added 24 Georgia counties to the six on the coast that were already under a state of emergency, and Georgians were urged to prepare for strong winds, rain and flooding. Deal also authorized up to 5,000 Georgia National Guard members to be on state active duty to support Hurricane Irma response and recovery.

This is a developing story.

Images via the National Weather Service

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