EFFINGHAM,SC (WBTW) The Florence County Emergency Operations Center moved to OPCON 2 on Monday ahead of Hurricane Dorian.
Levi James, Florence County Emergency Management, told News13 OPCON 2 is just a partial activation where a limited number of staff members monitor the National Weather Service and stay in contact with state agencies. As for now, there is no major threat for Florence County, but they are still staying on high alert.
“We strongly urge our residents to really just go ahead and prepare for the worst case scenario. It’s better to be safe than sorry and wait for the last minute when the storm gets here to try to prepare,” James said.
If Florence county moves to OPCON 1, James said they will then contact local agencies to help take on the hurricane. Those agencies include local law enforcement, Department of Health & Environmental Control, Department of Social Services, Red Cross, Salvation Army and more.
“Everybody sends a representative from their agencies so that they are here. We make sure that whatever problem may arise, we have a person that can pinpoint to that situation to make sure that everything gets taken care of,” he added.
There are currently no county shelters open as of Monday. Those will open if the county moves to OPCON 1. Shelter locations are at Wilson High School, South Florence High, Timmonsville Educational Center, Lake City High and Hannah-Pamplico Elementary/Middle School.
Count on News 13 for all hurricane updates.
