Preparing for a Hurricane

Hurricane season began June 1, but the weather in the Atlantic doesn’t really pick up until about this time.

That's when more storms get names and start heading in the general direction of the East Coast and we all start paying more attention.

So far this year, we’ve had three named storms. Forecasters have been predicting an above-average storm season, with as many as 18 named storms, with winds more than 39 mph. Up to 10 of those are expected to be hurricane strength, with winds higher than 74 mph.

As the years grow between the Lowcountry and a significant hurricane threat, there is real concern that residents will become complacent or ignore the very real danger that comes with this time of year. That possibility is even more plausible for an area like Berkeley County that isn’t on the coast, but has just as many threats as a coastal communities.

According to the National Hurricane Center, more people have died from inland flooding between 1970 and 2000 than from coastal storm surges.

Areas like Goose Creek and Hanahan are a straight shot form the Charleston Harbor, said Berkeley County Emergency Preparedness Director Tom Smith, while the high tide on Daniel Island is already two feet higher than other shores along the Cooper River.

Be Prepared

“The most important part is personal preparedness,” Smith said. That means having a hurricane plan for your family.

First, you should create a disaster supply kit that should include things like non-perishable foods, drinking water, a first-aid kit, insurance documents, family records, and toiletries.

Families should also review the state’s evacuation routes. One of the biggest changes in preparedness in the last decade has been in getting people safely out of the way of a coming storm. In 1999, Lowcountry residents sat for hours on Interstate 26 as they tried to escape Hurricane Floyd.

“Floyd didn’t come bother us,” Davis said of the storm, which eventually made landfall farther up the coast. “But it was a fiasco.”

Berkeley County spokesman Donald Boling said the modern evacuation routes have drivers moving in rapid precession.

“The main thing is to know where you’re going,” he said. “You’re not going to have options, but the beauty is that everybody is going to get out and get out safely.”

Here are the evacuation routes through Goose Creek and Hanahan, according to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division:

• Evacuees will take U.S. 52 to U.S. 78 to U.S. 178 to Orangeburg or continue on U.S. 52 to U.S. 176 or continue on U.S. 52
• The right lanes of U.S. 52 at Goose Creek will continue on to Moncks Corner. In Moncks Corner, evacuees will be directed onto S.C. 6, where S.C. 6 will proceed toward Columbia.
• The left lane of U.S. 52 at Goose Creek will go onto U.S. 176 to Columbia.

Evacuees need to be mindful of their animals, as well, by planning to take them along to a pet-friendly hotel or making other arrangements. Berkeley County does not have any shelters that allow animals, but Charleston County can host pets at the North Charleston Coliseum.

As for the people shelters, Smith noted that Berkeley’s shelters can only house about 8 percent of the county’s population, and that some of these shelters will be popular with Charleston County residents, as well.

Local shelters include:

• Goose Creek High School, 1137 Red Bank Road
• Hanahan Middle School, 5815 Murray Drive
• Stratford High School, 951 Crowfield Boulevard
• Westview Primary School, 98 Westview Boulevard

Look for more coverage later this week on what to do during and after a storm. We’ll also be updating this column regularly through the season as storm threats emerge.