Is Hilton Head prepared for downed trees?

Hilton Head Island could experience tropical storm-force winds, in excess of 39 mph, as Hurricane Florence soon lashes the area.

That could mean downed trees — similar to what island residents grappled with during other recent storms, including Hurricane Irma last year and Matthew in 2016. The storms toppled thousands of island trees that tore through homes’ roofs and blocked some neighborhood roads for weeks.

Hilton Head Island Town Manager Steve Riley said the island is ready to deal with the potential impacts.

“Fire crews are equipped to remove obstacles of a certain size, and if we need extra support, we have the means to get a debris contractor here,” he said.

Riley added that town government hasn’t felt much need to handle preparations differently than it did before Tropical Storm Irma last year and Hurricane Matthew in 2016 that took down thousands of Hilton Head trees. He said that, aside from increased communication efforts and social media monitoring, preparations have been handled similar to those storms.

“We’ve inspected lagoons and aren’t expected to pump those out at this point in time,” he said. “The projected storm surge is also looking like less than Irma and Matthew, so we aren’t too worried.”

He said the emergency operations center would open at noon Thursday and will operate Friday, but not overnight.

This story was originally published September 13, 2018 at 12:10 PM.