‘Stay home’: Bluffton closes public offices to prepare for Tropical Storm Isaias
As the rest of the Lowcountry begins feeling the effects of Tropical Storm Isaias, Bluffton officials are closing all public offices at noon Monday. The goal is to protect employees’ safety, spokesperson Debbie Szpanka said Monday.
Hilton Head and Beaufort County government offices were also expected to close at noon.
Officials are hopeful that the impact of the storm will be minimal.
“Maybe this is a good storm to get in line what you need to do to protect your family and yourself and your house,” Bluffton Mayor Lisa Sulka said. “This is a good trial run to see what we need to do.”
Early Monday morning, as dark gray clouds formed over Old Town Bluffton, several people were seen jogging, walking their dogs or riding bikes through the town. Construction crews were out working on the new dock at the end of Calhoun Street.
Scattered showers began to pick up around 10 a.m.
“If you don’t need to go out today, stay home,” Bluffton’s interim police chief Scott Chandler said during a Facebook Live video Monday. “Make sure your families are safe. I would not go out in the water today. Think safety.”
Town offices are expected to reopen 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Facebook announcement.
The town does not expect to close its public parks, Szpanka said, but “common sense says people don’t go to the parks in the rain.”
Town manager Marc Orlando said that town staff will still conduct government business from home.
During the town’s announcement on Facebook, Sulka and Orlando urged residents and property owners associations to prepare for flash flooding by lowering lagoons and clearing drainage ditches.
“We’re well postured and positioned,” Orlando said. “We’ve got a great team at work”
Tropical Storm Isaias
Isaias is expected to impact Beaufort County between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday. The entire county is under a tropical storm warning until 4 p.m., according to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Heavy rains and wind started around 9:30 a.m. on Hilton Head and in Bluffton and Savannah. Rain began in Beaufort around 10:25 a.m.
Beaufort County will see between two and five inches of rain. The storm’s path has shifted northward and is likely to hit Charleston and Myrtle Beach with higher intensity than South Carolina’s southern coast.
The rain may cause coastal flooding in low-lying areas of Beaufort County; the entire county is under a flash flood watch.
This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 10:41 AM.
