The hurricane, which is now Tropical Storm Irma continues to affect the state. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) urges residents to be aware of the potential of 3 to 6 inches of rain, with up to 60-mile-per-hour wind gusts and flooding in low-lying areas.
Please read these tips from SCEMD:
Be Aware of High Wind, Heavy Rain and Flooding:
- Limit travel and use extreme caution around down trees and power lines.
- Treat every down power line as if it were live.
- Do not walk through moving water. Three to six inches of moving water can make you fall. If you have to walk in water, walk where the water is not moving. Use a stick to check the firmness of the ground in front of you.
- Do not ever try to drive around or move barricades that are blocking a street.
- Heed warnings issued by local public safety officials. When you hear an official alert, take safety precautions immediately.
- Be aware that tropical storms can form tornadoes. Pay attention to NOAA Weather Radio alerts for your area and be prepared to seek shelter immediately if NWS issues a tornado warning for your area. (If a tornado warning is issued, Clemson University will send CU Safe Alert text and email messages and sound the campus warning sirens.)
- Call 9-1-1 for life-threatening emergencies only. Residents may call the state hotline at 1-866-246-0133 for all other questions related to Tropical Storm Irma.
SCEMD reports that mandatory evacuations are still in effect for barrier islands, including Edisto Beach in Colleton County; Daufuskie, Fripp, Harbor, Hunting and Hilton Head Islands in Beaufort County; and Knowles and Tullifiny in Jasper County.
Residents who need safe shelter from the storm may go to one of 24 emergency shelters that are open across the state. A complete list of shelters is available at SCEMD’s website: scemd.org/shelters-rss.