The city of Beaufort declared an emergency. What does that mean?

City of Beaufort Mayor Billy Keyserling issued a declaration of emergency for the city Wednesday afternoon.

The order is in effect for six days, Keyserling wrote in the declaration, and would end on Tuesday afternoon, unless ended sooner by the mayor. The order was signed at 4:30 p.m. and went into effect immediately. City manager Bill Prokop signed as a witness of the order.

The mayor explained Wednesday evening what this emergency order means for the city immediately and in the days to come.

While the order makes no immediate changes for the city, it gives city leadership — including the mayor, city manager and police — the power “to make the kinds of decisions they very well might have to make” during the hurricane.

During Hurricane Matthew in 2016, this order was used to enact a temporary curfew for the city, Keyserling said. This time around, though “we could get a real whopper” if Irma makes a turn toward Beaufort.

City ordinances show that the mayor has the authority to “temporarily prohibit the sale of firearms, ammunition, gasoline and liquor, or other alcoholic beverages” when the city or the state (or both) begin operating under an emergency order. The order also gives the mayor the authority to create a curfew and gives police the authority to detain arrested individuals for a period of two days before going before a city recorder or clerk of court for a bond hearing or arraignment.

This story was originally published September 6, 2017 at 8:21 PM with the headline "The city of Beaufort declared an emergency. What does that mean?."