HORRY COUNTY, SC (WBTW) – Horry County Emergency Management held a press briefing at 3 p.m. Monday afternoon in the Horry County Emergency Operations Center in the M.L. Brown building in Conway to discuss Hurricane Dorian preparations and what the new OPCON level one means.
Public information officer Thomas Bell says anyone who is a part of the OPCON one activation will send state and federal representatives to work and help Horry County as emergency support. This will begin Monday and Tuesday.
That includes agencies like South Carolina state police, the South Carolina National Guard, DSS, and the Red Cross.
The EOC doesn’t anticipate responding to a major flood event like Florence or Matthew with Hurricane Dorian. Officials are warning of possible flash flooding in low-lying areas and typical places that run into flooding issues with quick rainfall.
Horry County Emergency Management Director Randy Webster says currently Horry County’s fuel supply is in good shape and there is no need for a curfew; however, there are things they are anticipating.
“We do anticipate power outages throughout the county, we do anticipate some debris to be down, so we do anticipate a lot of things to happen, as you would with any type of hurricane, no matter what the category, no matter what the track,” said Webster.
Webster says just because you may not be in the evacuation zone, that does not mean you should not leave. Horry County Emergency Management Public Information Officer Thomas Bell agrees.
“We do want to stress to folks, understand that if you decide to wait out the storm, you are going to inherit the risks of the storm, and at some point, when winds get too strong, whenever it might be, we might not be able to send emergency service out to you,” he said.
Shelters are now open in Horry County. Officials say they have a capacity to hold just over 3,800 people. As of Monday evening, 10 people are utilizing shelters in the county.
Horry County Emergency Management plans to have press briefings like Monday afternoon’s every day this week at 3 p.m. to update the press and public on where Hurricane Dorian is and the preparations Horry County and partnering agencies have ready.
Until then, Bell says it’s important to look after your neighbor.
“Maybe if your HOA is calling a special meeting, attend that meeting, get to know, watch out for each other, and just lend a helping hand, because the more resilient your own home is, the more resilient your community is going to be, and the more resilient the county is going to be, overall,” he said.
