SCEMD ready to respond to Hurricane Michael

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)– As Hurricane Michael approaches Florida’s coast, South Carolina is getting ready to respond. SCEMD said Florence was the longest activation period they have had in recent memory. They actually just wrapped up Emergency operations last week, but now they are gearing up once again for Hurricane Michael’s impact.

“We gave everyone two days off over the weekend. So I think they’re rested up. But this is their job, this is our job, and we’ve got a really good team,” Kim Stenson said, director of SCEMD. Stenson says this hurricane will be different than Florence. Michael has to go through Florida and Georgia first, altering the way it will impact the Palmetto State

“This one should move through very quickly. We expect it to be out of our space by Thursday evening based on current predictions,” Stenson said.

Sension said individual counties may open shelters in the next 24 hours if the flooding gets bad enough. But for now, his team is bracing for impact.

“We’re expecting the potential for tropical storm force winds here in the Midlands area, and certainly the rain piece of it. It varies from report to report, but it looks like 3-6 inches rains is certainly possible here in the Midlands,” Stenson said.

The state fair kicks off Wednesday, and director Stenson said it is a good idea to keep an eye on the storm before you grab your fried food on a stick.

“You can expect Thursday to be a rainy, windy day here in the Midlands. So just be careful and stay in tune with the news media,” Stenson said.  Director Stenson wants to remind everyone to download the SCEMD spp or go to their website, SCEMD.org for the latest updates and really, be prepared for possible flooding once again.