Urgent repairs underway at coroner exam building in Port Royal. Here’s the problem
A mold issue has shut down the examination building at the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office in Port Royal, forcing emergency repairs of more than $300,000.
Last Wednesday, the county made an emergency hire of a contractor after a mold issue was discovered in the examination building, County Administrator Michael Moore said.
The discovery kicked in an emergency procurement process. Urgent work to address the problem began the next morning, or last Thursday, Moore said.
“The contractor is working expeditiously to complete remediation, construction and HVAC replacement to improve humidity control, which appears to be a contributing factor in this case,” Moore said.
The estimated cost of the work, which will take five to six weeks to complete, is $350,000, Moore said.
Using a disaster recovery mobile cooler
Coroner operations are continuing through coordination with Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in Charleston, use of a disaster recovery mobile cooler and “24-7 monitoring,” Moore said.
Moore updated the County Council on the emergency remediation at a council meeting Monday.
Coroner Debbie Youmans said Thursday that the office has two independent buildings joined by a covered walkway. The building on the right is the morgue and autopsy suite. The mold was found in that building, which has been closed. The building on the left, where offices are located, remains open.
The Coroner’s Office is using the mobile cooler as a temporary morgue, Youmans said. Autopsies are being handled by MUSC, which will result in longer wait times for families.
“That’s the only issue that affects our operations,” Youmans said.
This story was originally published April 30, 2026 at 10:31 AM.
