The city of Charleston is now operating at OPCON 2 in tandem with Charleston County. The MEOC remains staffed with Emergency Management, Police, Fire and other essential personnel managing the city’s response to the storm.
Current forecast: The primary threat to the Charleston area remains heavy rainfall and major coastal flooding associated with King Tides. Charleston is currently forecast to receive 2 to 4 inches of rain tonight into tomorrow morning. The King Tide prediction has increased to 8’5” and is expected to peak at 8:24 p.m. tonight.
According to the latest forecast from the National Weather Service Charleston, sustained wind speeds in our area could reach 60 mph, with gusts up to 80 mph. Tropical storm-force winds and heavy rainbands are expected to arrive as early as this afternoon.
Citizens can also monitor weather and tidal conditions via TideEye, the city’s web and mobile friendly GIS tool, linked here: https://gis.charleston-sc.gov/tideeye/.
The city of Charleston is currently under a Hurricane Watch, Tornado Watch, Flood Watch, Tropical Storm Warning and Storm Surge Warning.
City closures and cancelations: City offices and facilities are closed today. The West Ashley Farmers Market and Bank On Charleston event scheduled to take place later today are cancelled, as is tomorrow’s Government 101 event.
City facilities are expected to reopen at 12 p.m. tomorrow if conditions allow.
Garbage and trash collection: Garbage and trash collection is expected to proceed as scheduled today. Crews will monitor conditions and make any adjustments, as needed.
Due to the announced closure of the Bees Ferry Landfill, Thursday’s residential and commercial garbage and trash collection will be completed on Friday, September 1. Crews are prepared to work Saturday to complete any remaining routes, if needed.
Due to the high winds forecast for our area, citizens are asked to remove any cans or yard waste from the curb by 7 p.m. tonight.
Charleston County Shelter:
- Address: 3841 Leeds Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29405.
- The shelter will be open from 10 a.m. Wednesday, August 30 to 10 a.m. Thursday, August 31.
- Residents who need instructions on how to get to the shelter can call 843-746-3900.
- Pets are allowed, but residents must stay with their animals and cannot drop them off.
- Residents need to bring comfort items to the shelter with them.
Drainage and flooding: Temporary pumps are now in place, and crews have been working over the last several days to clear ditches and drains, and sweep streets in low lying areas.
Additionally, to help mitigate possible flooding, the Parks Department has lowered the water levels in Lake Dotterer and Colonial Lake.
The Police Department has barricades staged in areas of known flooding and will close flooded roadways during the storm, as needed. Citizens are advised to avoid travel during the storm and, as always, should never drive on flooded roadways.
As roads are closed, city staff will update the GIS map linked here: https://gis.charleston-sc.gov/road-closures-regional/map/.
Charleston Police Department: The police department has increased staffing levels in anticipation of the storm, and has extended shifts to increase patrol presence for businesses, residences and service call responses.
Charleston Fire Department: The Fire Department is staffed up with high water vehicles on-hand and stands ready to assist throughout the storm as needed.
Damage reporting: To help with the city’s assessments once the storm passes, residents are asked to report any storm-related damage online at www.charleston-sc.gov/report-damage or by calling the city’s Citizen Services Desk at 843-724-7311.
City personnel will begin conducting windshield surveys of storm-related damage as soon as conditions allow.
Citizens should report power outages or downed power lines to Dominion Energy at 888-333-4465.
City residents in Berkeley County can make these reports to Berkeley Electric Cooperative at 888-253-4232.
Parking garages:The following city parking garages are now open to the public to park their cars for free during the storm. In order to take advantage of the free storm parking, cars must be removed by 11 a.m. on Thursday, August 31.
- Aquarium parking garage (24 Calhoun Street)
- Visitor Center parking garage (63 Mary Street)
- East Bay/Prioleau parking garage (25 Prioleau Street)
- 99 West Edge parking garage (99 West Edge Street)
- Charleston Tech Center parking garage (997 Morrison Drive)
As of 10:30 this morning, the Queen Street parking garage is full.
Citizens are reminded that garage openings are for cars only, and do not apply to boats, trailers or golf carts.
Additional information: For the most accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts, residents should stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service Charleston websites, as well as local media and the FEMA app.
Additional hurricane preparedness information can be found at www.scemd.org. Citizens can also monitor weather and tidal conditions via TideEye, the city’s web and mobile friendly GIS tool, linked here: https://gis.charleston-sc.gov/tideeye/.
The Citizen Services Desk is staffed to answer citizens’ questions about storm preparations and can be reached at 843-724-7311.
