SC leaders discuss disaster planning in Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — South Carolinians have dealt war, earthquakes and hurricanes, but U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham says there’s a new sort of disaster for which the state needs to be prepared.

Graham told a conference in Charleston on Monday that a cyber-attack aimed at computers could cripple the state’s infrastructure, affecting everything from people using cellphones to the banking system.

U.S. Rep. Tim Scott said people can help prepare by keeping backups of important files and writing down passwords and log-ins on paper so they are not lost if computer systems go down.

The lawmakers attended a conference that drew doctors and emergency planners to the Medical University of South Carolina’s Center for Health Professional Training and Emergency Response.