Skeptics in Charleston plan to ride out storm ahead of Florence

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CHARLESTON, SC (WOLO) – Hundreds, if not thousands of people will choose to stay through the end of the week in Charleston, despite mandatory evacuation orders from the Governor.

As Hurricane Florence still churned several hundred miles off the coast Wednesday (9/12), several people suggested they were skeptical of the impact Florence would have on their part of the coast.

“I would have to have the eye of the storm hitting Charleston and then I would leave,” said Claire Teasley, as she sat on a park bench in White Point Garden. “I live on the 12th floor of an apartment building so I’ll be OK.”

Some people say they’ve lived here for decades and have stayed through the worst of them; Hugo comes to mind for many.

There are plenty of signs of evacuations and preparations for the potential of strong winds. Sand bags and tarps line the front of some properties while boarded windows is the common theme from Battery Row to Folly Beach.

Surfers still in the water Wednesday say they can already feel the effects of a major storm in the Atlantic.

Time will tell what exactly it has in store for this part of the state.

“Probably tomorrow morning will be most likely when we decide if we’re going to leave or stay,” said Laurie Byrd with her family in White Point Garden.

She’s aware of the potential catastrophic effects of a storm like Florence.

“Just looking at downtown Charleston this beautiful area here would just be no longer. And that’s pretty scary.”