Gov. Nikki Haley announced updated evacuation routes for coastal communities in preparation for Hurricane Matthew.
"The greater Charleston County area and greater Beaufort County area will go on with the evacuation at 3 o' clock. That will include the lane reversal of I-26."
LISTEN: Entire 9AM press conference
Governor Haley said evacuations for Georgetown and Horry Counties will start Thursday morning. Because of this change in evacuation, the Governor said instead of moving a million-plus people inland, a quarter of a million people are expected to be on the roads during this first phase.
Lane Reversal Information
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is providing the following information about the highways where lane reversals will be used as part of the coastal evacuation as Hurricane Matthew approaches the state:
- Hilton Head - One lane is reversed to create three lanes traveling west on US 278 at the intersection of the Spanish Wells Drive and Moss Creek Village Drive. This reversal is approximately two miles in length.
- Beaufort - US 21 is reversed to create three lanes at US 21 Business and continues until US 17.
- Charleston to Columbia - A full, four lane reversal on I-26 in Charleston begins at the interchange of I-26 and I-526. The full reversal continues west until the I-26 crossover to I-77 just outside Columbia in Lexington County.
- Horry County - Horry County has two, four lane reversals: 1) SC 544 to US 378 and 2) SC 22 (Conway Bypass) to SC 576 near Marion County
The South Carolina Department of Transportation has a Coastal Evacuation Route application. The interactive map highlights coastal evacuation routes for all of South Carolina. Downloadable PDFs are also available.
For Your Pets
The Humane Society reminds residents to take their pets with them when they evacuate. Rachel Querry of The Humane Society of the United states said including pets in evacuation plans saves lives. "Residents may stay behind with their pets or try to rescue them following a disaster," she writes. Information and tips on what to include in a pet disaster kit is available at www.humanesociety.org.
Tuesday morning, Gov. Haley declared a state of emergency preparation for potential impacts of Hurricane Matthew. Haley said the state will need to evacuate 1.1 million people off the coast.
“We have a hurricane that seems to be hugging the coastline to where it’s steering towards South Carolina,” Haley said.
With the declared state of emergency, 1800 national guardsmen are available to help in the process. Evacuations are slated to begin 3PM Wednesday afternoon. Haley said officials are expecting a category two or three hurricane, which could bring five to seven-foot surges.
“Keep in mind that half of the fatalities we see, sometimes, is when the water comes up on shore. We’re going to be watching the storm surges quite a bit.” Haley said 100-mile an hour winds are also anticipated.
LISTEN: Gov. Haley announces the evacuation of coastal communities
For coastal communities that will be evacuated, Haley urged those residents to fill their vehicles with fuel and to stay on their evacuation routes. “Our goal is to make sure that you basically get 100 miles away from the coast.”
Know Your Zone
Know Your Zone is a public education campaign to inform the citizens and visitors of South Carolina of the new hurricane evacuation zones and their vulnerability to storm surge.
According to information posted to governor.sc.gov, Residents in the following evacuation zones should make preparations for a potential evacuation beginning at 3:00 p.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, October 5, 2016:
Beaufort: Zone A, Entire county
Jasper: A and B
Colleton: A Only
Charleston: A,B,C
Dorchester: B,D,E, and F
Berkeley: A,B,C,G, and I
Horry: A only
Georgetown: A only
By the Numbers
- 1700 Sandbags sent to Georgetown County
- 235 regular school buses and 108 special-needs school buses from Greenville County sent to Charleston for evacuations
- 3700 law enforcement officers will be on SC roads