McMaster, other S.C. officials push hurricane preparedness

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - South Carolina’s governor says the state is as prepared as it can be for a hurricane.

On Monday, Gov. Henry McMaster toured the state’s coastal counties to discuss how South Carolina is getting ready – now that we’re a few days into the 2023 hurricane season.

Emergency management officials and McMaster emphasized hurricanes aren’t just coastal events but statewide events – so all South Carolinians need to be prepared.

“The entire state is susceptible to hurricane-force winds and excessive rainfall, and we’ve seen that here in the recent past, and anywhere in South Carolina is susceptible to flash flooding, and we need to take that very seriously,” said Kim Stenson, director of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.

State leaders emphasize now is the time to prepare – and know what to do before, during, and after a hurricane.

They say South Carolinians need to know and remember their evacuation zone – particularly for counties on or near the coast that are vulnerable to storm surges.

And they need to know their assigned evacuation route.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol says troopers are prepared to evacuate people along all 30-plus of the state’s routes – and that these routes are ready for evacuation measures like lane reversals.

“Please do not follow your GPS. GPS will take you away from these routes,” said Lt. Col. J.T. Manley with the South Carolina Highway Patrol. “Most of the time, your GPS will take you the shortest route. In this case, you don’t need to go the shortest route; you need to stay on the route that’s designated for you and your zone.”

National forecasters say they’re expecting a near-normal Atlantic hurricane season this year – meaning five to nine hurricanes, with one to four of them major ones.

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