‘Heavy hurricane year’ this summer and COVID-19, too: Get ready, SC officials say

With hurricanes likely to batter South Carolina this summer and the state gripped by raging disease, officials are preparing for the worst.

“Here we are, in hurricane season in the middle of a pandemic,” said McMaster, who called the next five months “a heavy hurricane year” because forecasters predict an above average number of hurricanes with greater than normal strength.

On top of that, with “the tragic, unforgivable death of George Floyd,” the state is also experiencing protests and violence, the governor said at a Thursday press conference to mark the official June 1 beginning of hurricane season.

“There’re a lot of challenges coming at one time,” McMaster said, calling coronavirus “highly dangerous and it is deadly.”

But state transportation, law enforcement, National Guard and highway officials have been making plans and will be ready, the governor said.

McMaster also warned that during any evacuations people will have to be alert and stick to established departure routes.

“Don’t count on social media and your GPS for information,” said the governor, urging people to keep a free copy of the state’s latest Hurricane Guide around for quick reference. The guide contains numerous helpful tops for evacuees, as well as maps and routes to most efficiently leave coastal areas.

Using a GPS to get to an unproven shortcut might steer you to a washed-out road where you would be unable to turn around or have “tragic consequences,” he said.

“Use your common sense. Don’t be careless. Don’t be stupid, and we will get through it,” McMaster said.

Marshall Taylor, general counsel for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, told reporters that because of the pandemic, everyone evacuating from coastal areas is advised to bring with them cloth face masks, soap, hand sanitizer and disinfectant.

Because coronavirus is so contagious, and people need to keep apart, DHEC is exploring alternate evacuation locations that could include hotel rooms and other sites where people fleeing a hurricane strike could go, Taylor said.

Taylor urged people to start getting ready now. “Know your route. Have a plan,” he said.

The state is planning on having 70 or more shelters available for evacuees.

But in recent years, when schools and other sites provided space for some 100,000 people, only 8,400 evacuees used the shelters during Hurricane Matthew in 2016. In 2018, during Hurricane Florence, only 8,500 people used a shelter.

Many evacuees wind up staying with friends or family, officials said.

State staff writer Joe Bustos contributed.

This story was originally published June 4, 2020 at 6:52 PM with the headline "‘Heavy hurricane year’ this summer and COVID-19, too: Get ready, SC officials say."