Palmetto State News

Governor Henry McMaster has declared a State of Emergency for South Carolina in anticipation of Hurricane Helene. The executive order, numbered 2024-24, activates the state's Emergency Operations Plan and instructs the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) to coordinate with relevant state agencies to prepare for potential requests for assistance from local officials and county emergency management leaders.

"Although South Carolina will likely avoid the brunt of Hurricane Helene's impacts, the storm is still expected to bring dangerous flooding, high winds, and isolated tornadoes to many parts of the state," said Governor Henry McMaster. "This State of Emergency ensures that Team South Carolina has the necessary resources in place to respond to these potential impacts. South Carolinians in potentially affected areas should start to take precautions now and monitor local weather forecasts over the next several days."

The National Hurricane Center forecasts that Hurricane Helene is currently situated in the Gulf of Mexico and is expected to intensify before making landfall along Florida's coast on September 26, 2024. Following this, it is predicted that the storm will impact South Carolina and other southeastern states with strong winds, significant rainfall, flash flooding, and an increased risk of isolated tornadoes.

SCEMD provides various resources for hurricane preparedness through its website hurricane.sc. This site offers an interactive tool for quick reference on how to prepare for hurricanes.

Additionally, SCEMD's official app "SC Emergency Manager" can be downloaded from both the App Store and Google Play via http://onelink.to/dn92rx.

The 2024 S.C. Hurricane Guide is also available in English or Spanish at scemd.org.