CHARLESTON, S.C (WCBD) – From the beaches of Isle of Palms to the streets of Downtown Charleston, leaders all over the Lowcountry are preparing for what Hurricane Idalia could bring.
“We hope not to have a big impact from this storm, but tomorrow night, there’s no reason to be out,” said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg on Tuesday.
The mayor joined other city leaders for a news conference to declare a state of emergency, just as South Carolina did, and to provide updates on their preparations. The declaration gives the mayor the authority to close streets and limit travel if necessary.
The city will shift to OPCON2 on Wednesday morning. Charleston County announced they planned to do the same.
“What that means is that we are taking extra precautions, putting additional personnel in the field, we’re activating the Emergency Operations Center. That will run from 8 am to 8 pm, and then there will be an overnight watch team that monitors conditions while the storm is passing,” explained Ben Almquist, the Director of Emergency Management for the City of Charleston.
Flooding is one of the biggest concerns ahead of the storm’s arrival. Residents filled up sandbags at distribution sites throughout the region on Tuesday, including on the Isle of Palms.
Sergeant Matt Storen, the Public Information Officer for the Isle of Palms Police Department, encouraged residents to start preparing at home.
“Start checking on your elderly family members, medications, get those refilled, plan for a couple days without power, have water supply for at least three days, food supply for at least three days without power,” Sgt. Storen said.
Both IOP and Folly Beach have experienced beach erosion over the last year due to past storms and other causes. Officials said the possibility of that is a concern with Idalia as well.
“Beach erosion is not necessarily a safety impact but it’s something that affects our city greatly,” said Chief Andrew Gilreath, the Director of Public Safety for the City of Folly Beach.
Leaders strongly urged residents to stay home while the storm passes through.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)