UPDATED: 7 a.m. Aug. 6 | There’s one thing just about every official source seems to agree on: South Carolina’s about to get more rain from Tropical Storm Debby than in anyone’s recent memory.
Meanwhile on Monday evening, Charleston Mayor William Cogswell issued a city-wide curfew starting at 11 p.m. Charleston police will start closing vulnerable roads at 8 p.m. According to a statement, “Thoroughfares leading onto the peninsula will be closed from 11 p.m. and then officials will reassess at 10 a.m. Tuesday.”
The heavy, sporadic rains seen Monday afternoon in Charleston are just a taste of something far more ominous that’s expected from Debby, downgraded from being a hurricane when it made landfall in Florida this morning.
“We don’t know exactly how much water is coming, but we know it’s going to be a lot,” Gov. Henry McMaster said at a 5 p.m. statewide press conference today at the S.C. Emergency Operations Center in Columbia. Later he added, “These things are unpredictable and this water is dangerous.”
Also at the conference was the National Weather Service’s John Quagliariello, who reiterated how up to 30 inches in pockets of the state will inundate South Carolina, causing flash and urban flooding and a host of problems.
“Unfortunately, Debby will linger just off the South Carolina coast for much of the mid-week period before possibly moving back onshore somewhere along the northern South Carolina coast or possibly even the southeast North Carolina coast late Thursday,” he said.
Quagliariello said that during the prolonged period of impact, the state is expected to get tropical storm force winds, storm surge, flooding and more.
“Rainfall amounts could exceed what some areas have ever experienced in the past with a widespread area of 10 to 20 inches with locally higher amounts up to 30 inches possible through Friday across the eastern half of the state.”
The governor said the state’s emergency workers are ready.
“We are prepared. Everyone is on deck. We’ve gone through these things many times before and are ready to work. We communicate, collaborate and cooperate better than anybody in the country.”
But he urged residents to stay inside, be safe and keep off roads which can cause life-threatening problems for vehicles that ride on roads with even an inch of water on them.
“Don’t speed,” McMaster said. “Stay off the roads if at all possible. Never drive through water.”
Earlier Monday, Cogswell said in a letter to business leaders that the storm is expected to bring unprecedented levels of flooding: “Charleston receives around 50 inches of rainfall annually. This storm is currently projected to bring between 10 to 20 inches of rain, with some areas seeing up to 30 inches of rainfall.
“Our system is not designed to handle this amount of water in this period. Combined with tides and potential storm surge, we expect to see flooding in areas that are not usually inundated with water.
Also Monday, the weather service said “the forecast continues to advertise rainfall totals of 10-20 inches across all of southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina, with localized amounts of up to 30 inches possible. Even more concerning is that the swath of heaviest rain is likely to fall along the coastal corridor, including heavily urbanized areas across Savannah, Hilton Head, Beaufort and Charleston.”
All of the water that’s on the way “will likely result in areas of catastrophic flooding across southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina,” the National Weather Service said. “A Flood Watch remains in effect for all of southeast Georgia and southeast South Carolina through Friday morning.” Parts of South Carolina also were under a Tropical Storm Warning and Storm Surge Warning on Monday.
City urges caution
Concern about the storm continued to grow Sunday as evidenced by official press conferences, sandbags being placed strategically to protect property and trips to grocery stores to stock up on essentials. Even the Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore reportedly is in Charleston, seen as an ominous sign for something big ahead.
City of Charleston officials warned heavy rain could cause “imminent, life-threatening floodwaters and unpredictable flash flooding. … This storm is expected to produce very significant and rare flooding impacts across the city.”
Flooding, officials said, “is expected to inundate roads across the city, damage vehicles and enter some structures. Motorists who drive into flood waters may lose their vehicles. Residents are urgently advised to move their vehicles to higher ground before Monday.”
Flooding is expected to cause widespread road closures, including on roads that typically aren’t affected by flooding in similar storms.
Getting ready
- Road closures: Click here to keep up with updated road closures during the storm.
- Parking garages open: Residents can move their cars to higher ground locations to avoid flood damage for free at these city garages: Aquarium (23 Calhoun St.), Visitor Center (63 Mary St.), WestEdge (99 West Edge St.), Charleston Tech Center (997 Morrison Dr.), and East Bay/Prioleau (25 Prioleau St.). The Queen Street lot at 93 Queen St. will open for free starting 5 p.m. Monday. County garages are open for free starting 8 a.m. Monday at 90 Cumberland St. and 85 Queen St.
- Trash pickup: Canceled Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Public meetings: All public city of Charleston meetings are canceled for the week.
- Shelter: A shelter for people and pets will be open at 8 a.m. Monday at the Charleston County Sheriff’s Administration Building, 3841 Leeds Ave.
- Info line: A Community Information Line will be staffed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. to provide updates and answer storm questions. In English: 843.746.3900. In Spanish: 843.746.3909.
- Other resources: The S.C. Emergency Management Division also has a lot of resources available online at hurricane.sc.
Checklists and safety plans
The American Red Cross has a hurricane preparedness checklist and power outage checklist, and recommends reviewing both ahead of any emergency. Compiling a list of emergency numbers and taking photos of valuables for insurance claims is also a great way to mitigate some of the stress that comes with heavy storms.
Residents are also encouraged to download useful apps on their phones — such as weather, news and safety-related apps — to stay informed during times when Mother Nature is unkind.
Charleston County also has released an updated hurricane guide, including information on new evacuation zones. The 31-page document is available to read online and print out for free. It details ways to prepare yourself and home for weather-related disasters and includes evacuation routes from several locations throughout Charleston County.
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