What SCEMD wants you to know about hurricane season

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) – South Carolina residents are no strangers to hurricane season, and it officially started Sunday.

Kim Stenson, director of the South Carolina Emergency Division, said it’s crunch time.

“Prepare while you’ve got the time to prepare because doing the last-minute piece of it is probably not going to always work very well,” said Stenson. “So certainly, need to take a look at those resources, build your plan and be ready to take action if you need to.”

Stenson said the best time to prepare for a hurricane is before one forms. June 1 was the first day of hurricane season, and it runs through November 30.

“Stay in tune with what’s going on. Listen to your trusted sources for information, especially at the local level or trusted local sources, and if you’re encouraged to evacuate, or asked to evacuate, you should heed that warning,” Stenson said.

There have been several natural disasters recently, like Hurricane Helene and wildfires. Stenson said those events shouldn’t change people’s preparation but, no matter where you live, coast or inland, you’re not off the hook. Storms can bring flash flooding and strong winds.

“Well, we don’t really expect any big changes in terms of that. I mean, we’ve known about these risks for a number of years,” said Stenson. “For several years, we have encouraged people to be aware that a hurricane event is not just a coastal county event, but it can occur anywhere in South Carolina in terms of the effects of it; the wind and the rain, etc. ”

Stenson added that communication with FEMA is still evolving. They have not heard anything about getting fewer resources this year.

“We don’t have, you know, all the information in terms of what we think may end up in that particular sphere but, right now we’re expecting to get the same level of support from FEMA that we get every year and, you know, that may change later on, but we’re not expecting anything right now,” Stenson said.

Stenson said one resource you could use is the SCEMD mobile app. It gives you access to evacuation routes, emergency alerts, and checklists for your family and pets. You can also head to their website for more information.