The city of Charleston moved to OPCON 3 at noon today, along with Charleston County, as officials prepare for any local impacts from Hurricane Michael.
City offices will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, October 11, 2018, and are expected to re-open as normal on Friday, October 12, 2018.
City crews are working to pre-position pumps and continue clearing ditches and drains of debris to prepare for the effects of potential flooding. The Parks Department continues lowering the water levels in Colonial Lake and Lake Dotterer.
In addition, city crews have begun pre-staging barricades in low-lying areas in anticipation of possible road closures due to tidal flooding on Thursday.
All Recreation Department programs and games scheduled for Thursday are cancelled. The Lowcounty Senior Center will be closed on Thursday, as well.
Garbage and trash collection citywide will not occur tomorrow. Thursday routes are expected to resume on Friday, and Friday routes on Saturday.
Beginning at 7 p.m. tonight, the Aquarium parking garage located at 24 Calhoun Street and the Visitor Center parking garage at 63 Mary Street will be open for citizens to park their cars for free during the storm. Cars must be removed by 8 a.m. Friday.
The West Ashley Farmers Market originally scheduled for today, Wednesday, October 10, has been cancelled. It is expected to resume Wednesday, October 17 through Wednesday, October 24.
Based on the most recent forecast, the city of Charleston is expecting an 8-foot high tide at 10:19 a.m. tomorrow morning, October 11, 2018, which will likely result in significant flooding in low lying areas.
Other potential impacts for the Charleston area include wind and threat of tornadoes, with rainfall expected through Friday morning.
City officials remain in close coordination with tri-county officials and other local agencies and will continue to receive regular updates from the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service in Charleston.
Residents are encouraged to review the city’s Hurricane Information webpage and the available resources at http://www.charleston-sc.gov/hurricane-information.
For the most accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts, residents should stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service Charleston websites, as well as local media and the FEMA app.
Citizens and visitors with questions may call the Citizen Services Desk at 843-724-7311. Additional hurricane preparedness information can be found at www.scemd.org and in the downloadable Charleston County Hurricane Preparedness Guide.