MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – The Red Cross says around 1,000 people have already evacuated to shelters inside some Horry County schools.
Hundreds of people poured into Palmetto Elementary School on Wednesday afternoon ahead of Hurricane Florence.
“We’re just gonna take it as it comes,” Dorothy Gelmen, a 15-year resident of Myrtle Beach said.
It is Gelmen’s first time ever evacuating for a hurricane since living in Horry County.
“We survived a category two, and that was bad enough,” Gelman said. “And we had made the decision that if it’s a category two or above, we’re not staying home.”
Our cameras were not allowed inside of the shelter for privacy reasons, however, inside, dozens of people lined the school’s hallways next to their belongings. Some people were sleeping on cots, sitting on the floor or at the cafeteria tables waiting out the storm.
“Some of them are a little bit in shock, I think,” Gelman said about some people she’s met who are staying in the shelter. “(They’re) having a hard time.”
The Red Cross anticipates more people coming to the shelters over the next two days.
“I think once people realize the width and breadth of this storm, how scary this storm is; many people are here for their first hurricane, I think we’ll be seeing a lot of people coming into the shelter,” Lou Palm, Disaster Manager for the American Red Cross said.
Despite the severity of the storm, Gelman says she isn’t worried because she knows she’s safe.
“This is all I own, and I know that I have a strong faith,” Gelman said. “So we’ll just face whatever we face when we get home.”
