Today, City of Charleston began working at OPCON 3 and partially activated the Municipal Emergency Operations Center. City Emergency Management continues to work closely with state and regional officials to monitor the storm’s track and coordinate preparation efforts.
City of Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg and Emergency Management Director Shannon Scaff, along with other tri-county emergency management officials, participated in a press conference this afternoon at the Charleston County Emergency Operations Center to discuss the city’s preparations and encourage citizens to make preparations for themselves and their families.
Mayor Tecklenburg said, “This is shaping up to be a major hurricane. City government continues to get ready for whatever impacts the storm may bring. We ask that citizens do the same by reviewing your family’s plan and paying attention to any announcements from the Governor or other state emergency officials.”
To prepare for the storm, city workers are clearing ditches and drains of debris and the water levels in Colonial Lake and Lake Dotterer are being lowered.
Charleston City Council held a telephonic meeting at 5 p.m. and declared a state of emergency to exist in the City of Charleston to be in concert with Governor Henry McMaster’s earlier issuance of a State of Emergency in South Carolina.
Sandbags will be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday, September 10, at three locations, the old Piggly Wiggly site on Sumar Street (West Ashley), the Charleston Fire Station at 1985 Bees Ferry Road (West Ashley) and the Public Service building at 2150 Milford Street (Peninsula). Sandbags are self-serve, with a limit of 10 bags per household. Citizens must bring their own shovel, but there is onsite assistance for those who need it. Additional sites are expected to open, as resources become available.
In addition to storm preparations, the City of Charleston will also conduct normal city business Monday, September 10. Garbage and trash collections will run on normal schedules.
The city’s Hurricane Information webpage can be accessed at http://www.charleston-sc.gov/hurricane-information. Updates on the city’s preparations for Hurricane Florence will be released and posted to the webpage as new information becomes available.
For the most accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts, residents should stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center (www.nhc.noaa.gov/) and National Weather Service Charleston (www.weather.gov/chs/) websites, as well as local media and the FEMA app.
The city’s Citizen Services Desk at 843-724-7311 will be staffed tomorrow, Monday, September 10 beginning at 8:30 a.m. to answer questions about the storm and the city’s preparations. Additional hurricane preparedness information can be found at www.scemd.org.