News Flash

City of Charleston Hurricane Matthew Recovery Update
October 11, 2016

One of the city’s top priorities today was to get all city streets open. At this time, only one street has a partial blockage. All others are open.

At this time, there are no flooded streets in the city. Drivers should be aware that although Main Road at Highway 17 is now open, it may flood again at high tide. City of Charleston Police Department will work with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office to address traffic issues in the area should it flood again.

The City of Charleston has received more than 250 reports of tree issues. To date, we have addressed 82 tree related issues in the public right of ways.

One traffic signal within the city remains out due to power outages. Four traffic signals are currently flashing while extensive repairs are made. Five other signals have minor damage and will be restored to service quickly.

The water heater at the MLK Pool has been repaired and the pool is now open.

Damage assessment teams continue to evaluate areas with reports of damage.

To help in the city’s preliminary damage assessment effort, citizens are asked to report any damage to www.charleston-sc.gov/report-damage or call the City of Charleston Citizen Information Line at 843-973-7219. This information will be used to evaluate which areas of the city were most affected by the storm.

We have been communicating with SCE&G and BCEC throughout the day today. This afternoon they reported that there are 10,247 citizens in Charleston County without power. Crews continue to work tirelessly to restore power to all citizens and businesses.

We expect the Charleston County contractor to commence debris removal operations tomorrow in and around Byrnes Down and the upper peninsula neighborhoods. Additional trucks and areas will be added in the coming days.

Citizens throughout the City should begin putting debris out to the curb as soon as they are able.

Please remember, when placing debris at the curb, not to C.H.E.A.T. the system, and sort in the following categories for collection:

C – Construction debris (building materials, drywall, lumber, carpet, furniture, etc.)
H – Hazardous waste (oils, batteries, pesticides, paints, cleaning supplies, etc.)
E – Electronics (televisions, computers, radios, stereos, DVD players/VCRs, etc.)
A – Appliances (Refrigerators, washers/dryers, freezers, air conditioners, stoves, etc.)
T – Trees and vegetation (tree branches, leaves and logs)

If residents are placing items at the curb that need to be assessed by an insurance adjuster prior to being picked up, please clearly mark on the items that they are not to be picked up yet.



For More Information: The City’s Citizen Information Line (843-973-7219) remains active during business hours, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Updates are also posted at www.charleston-sc.gov, Facebook and Twitter.


City of Charleston Hurricane Matthew Recovery Update
Update: 5:45 p.m., October 10, 2016

Each department within the City of Charleston remains hard at work on storm recovery efforts.

Mayor Tecklenburg and the Emergency Management Team held a press conference this afternoon to discuss the recovery. Watch the video of the press conference on Facebook here.

Report Damage
To help in the city’s preliminary damage assessment effort, citizens are asked to report any damage to www.charleston-sc.gov/report-damage or call the City of Charleston Citizen Information Line at 843-973-7219. This information will be used to evaluate which areas of the city were most affected by the storm.

Debris Removal
City of Charleston resumed normal garbage and trash collections today.

To handle the large amount of storm debris, Charleston County has hired a contractor that will collect storm debris throughout Charleston County. The city will release a schedule for storm debris collection in the next couple of days.

Citizens should begin putting debris out to the curb as soon as they are able.

When placing debris at the curb, remember not to C.H.E.A.T. the system, and sort in the following categories for collection:

C – Construction debris (building materials, drywall, lumber, carpet, furniture, etc.)
H – Hazardous waste (oils, batteries, pesticides, paints, cleaning supplies, etc.)
E – Electronics (televisions, computers, radios, stereos, DVD players/VCRs, etc.)
A – Appliances (Refrigerators, washers/dryers, freezers, air conditioners, stoves, etc.)
T – Trees and vegetation (tree branches, leaves and logs)

If residents are placing items at the curb that need to be assessed by an insurance adjuster prior to being picked up, please clearly mark on the items that they are not to be picked up yet.



Recreation Department
All recreation facilities re-opened to the public today with the exception of the 50 meter MLK Pool and the Municipal Golf Course.

All scheduled City Recreation games, matches and programs will be held starting tomorrow.

The water heater at MLK Pool was damaged. WLS Pool at Forest Park in WA is open, so programs will be relocated to this site until the heater at MLK can be repaired.

The Municipal Golf Course is closed due to major tree damage.

Many of our parks have some down limbs and debris. Please use caution when enjoying our parks, as the cleanup continues.

Parks
City of Charleston Parks Department has been responding to reports of downed trees, conducting facility assessments of city buildings and parks and taking down the hurricane protection from the city’s historic buildings.

Public Service
Public Service continues to work in cooperation with the Parks Department to respond to down trees and clear roads.

The standing flood water around Colonial Lake has been drained. It was determined that the Tideflex valve at Rutledge Avenue failed. Public Service is working on a project to replace the device.

Engineering Inspectors began early assessment of debris estimates.

Four two man damage assessment teams were deployed manned by inspectors from building inspections and the fire marshal’s office. They are working their way through James Island, John’s Island, West Ashley and the peninsula identifying structures with damage.

Planning Department
Planning Department staff has been assessing Protected and Grand trees throughout the City as requested by citizens for single family parcels, commercial sites and public locations not already assessed by Parks and Public Service.

They have also been performing windshield surveys and individual site assessment of all buildings in the Old and Historic and Old City districts, including buildings known to be compromised or in danger of collapse, historically rated buildings, commercial corridors and historic neighborhoods.

Traffic and Transportation
Traffic and Transportation has been repairing traffic signals throughout the city. Some signals are still out due to power outages.


CALL 2-1-1 TO GET OR GIVE HELP:
Encourage friends or colleagues in need of NON-EMERGENCY assistance or wishing to provide assistance to call 2-1-1. Sponsored by Trident United Way, 2-1-1 is fully staffed and ready to receive calls. This service offers referrals to critical community resources, supportive listening, and crisis intervention.

Dial 2-1-1 anytime, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to link to vital services in the local community. You can also call 2-1-1 toll free at 1-866-892-9211. The service is free and is available in multiple languages. For your convenience, 2-1-1 is available throughout the state of South Carolina.
Dial 2-1-1. Help starts here. www.sc211.org.



For More Information: The City’s Citizen Information Line (843-973-7219) will remain active during business hours, 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m.


Update: 12 p.m., Monday, October 10, 2016

City of Charleston crews are hard at work in a coordinated recovery effort. To view photos of the efforts, click the photo below. The album will be updated as photos are made available. 




Mayor Tecklenburg, Emergency Management Team Deliver City Post-Storm Briefing
Update: 2 p.m., Sunday, October 9, 2016



City of Charleston Hurricane Matthew PM Update
Update: 4 p.m., Saturday, October 8, 2016

The City of Charleston has now shifted into response mode. The high winds and heavy rains have subsided, allowing emergency personnel to begin preliminary damage assessments.

Flood waters remain throughout the city. Also of concern are downed trees and powerlines. Many neighborhoods are currently without power.

Every city department has representatives in the Municipal Emergency Operations Center who are assisting in the response efforts. Crews are out assessing damage in neighborhoods and to infrastructure, including roads, drainage apparatus, city buildings and bridges.

The goal is to organize an efficient and coordinated recovery plan to make the city safe for everyone as quickly as possible.

At the request of South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), the Charleston Police Department, in coordination with Mount Pleasant Police Department, closed the Ravenel Bridge at 12:15 p.m. to allow SCDOT engineers to inspect the bridge to ensure there was no damage from the high winds. The bridge will remain closed until the inspections are made. At this time, there is no estimate of how long that will take.

Due to severe flooding in some areas, debris in roadways and downed trees and powerlines, the City of Charleston will enact a curfew at 8 p.m. tonight, October 8 through 8 a.m. tomorrow, October 9. The curfew is needed for public safety, as after dark, both pedestrian and vehicular travel around the city would be very dangerous.

City of Charleston Emergency Manager Mark Wilbert said, “We hope everyone who stayed made it through the storm safely. We want to thank all of the citizens and members of our business community who helped in our preparation efforts. We are now hard at work assessing damage and beginning the response and recovery efforts.”

Earlier today, Governor Nikki Haley advised citizens who evacuated that it is not safe to return home yet.

Mayor John Tecklenburg reiterated the Governor’s message saying, “Although the storm has passed, we ask that citizens wait before returning home. We need time to assess the damage and ensure that the City of Charleston is a safe place for you to return home to. We are working with area municipalities, counties and the state to determine when it will be safe to return home.”

To help in the city’s preliminary damage assessment effort, citizens are asked to report any damage to www.charleston-sc.gov/report-damage or call the City of Charleston Citizen Information Line at 843-973-7219. This information will be used to evaluate which areas of the city were most affected by the storm.


Mayor Tecklenburg, Emergency Management Team Deliver City Storm Briefing
Update: 11 a.m., Saturday, October 8, 2016



Mayor Tecklenburg, Emergency Management Team Deliver City Storm Briefing
Update: 2 p.m., Friday, October 7, 2016



City of Charleston Hurricane Matthew PM Update
Update: 6:15 p.m., Thursday, October 6, 2016

Mayor Tecklenburg and representatives of the Emergency Management team held a press briefing this afternoon to urge citizens to evacuate.

Mayor Tecklenburg said, “It’s not in our nature to be inhospitable, but now is the time to leave Charleston. We are facing the threat of severe flooding caused by storm surge, high tide and potentially over a foot of rain hitting us all at once, and for that reason we are urging everyone to evacuate while there is still time.”

Watch the full briefing here.

Charleston City Council held an emergency meeting telephonically today at 3:15 p.m. and passed the following:

• An Executive Order declaring a state of emergency in the City;
• An Emergency Ordinance prohibiting price gouging;
• An Emergency Ordinance authorizing the closure of streets;
• An Emergency Ordinance establishing a curfew; and
• An Emergency Ordinance closing the peninsula to outsiders.

The Executive Order and the Ordinances regarding the price gouging and street closures went into effect immediately.

The Ordinances regarding the curfew and peninsula closure are not currently in effect. They will be implemented by the Mayor when and if circumstances warrant.

Charleston City Council will hold an emergency meeting telephonically at 3:00 p.m. Friday, October 7, 2016 for a briefing on Hurricane Matthew.

Dial in: 800-747-5150
Access Code: 7243729

The City of Charleston Citizen’s Information Line is active: (843) 973-7219.

CARTA announced the following information regarding emergency transportation:
CARTA will suspend its emergency bus service to open shelters– on-demand pickup for seniors, pet owners and those at blue hurricane signs downtown – at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6. Until then, anyone who needs a ride is asked to call the Charleston County Emergency Operations Center at (843) 746-3900 to get started.

They will resume emergency transportation to open shelters tomorrow, October 7 at 8 a.m. Service will run as long as weather permits.

More information will be available as this situation progresses. The latest on CARTA service alterations can be found at:

• www.ridecarta.com/hurricanematthew 
• Facebook/rideCARTA
• Twitter: @rideCARTA
• CARTA Customer Service: (843) 724-7420

Charleston County announced the following information regarding shelters and evacuation routes:
Shelter List:

• North Charleston High School, 1087 E Montague Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
• Stall High School, 3625 Ashley Phosphate Rd, North Charleston, SC 29418
• A.C. Corcoran Elementary, 8585 Vistavia Rd, North Charleston, SC 29406 
• Midland Park Primary, 2415 Midland Park Road, North Charleston, SC 29406
• Ladson Elementary, 3321 Ladson Rd, Ladson, SC 29456
• Edmund A. Burns Elementary, 3750 Dorchester Road, North Charleston, SC 29405 (Pet / Pet Owner Shelter)

Items to bring if you are locating to a shelter:

• Prescription and emergency medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, important documents and other comfort items. 
• It's also important not to forget special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, and other items for family members who have unique needs

Coastal Evacuation Routes can be read here: http://bit.ly/2dphirh

Charleston County is providing citizens transportation to local shelters from designated hurricane pick-up points. Buses will run until 8:00 p.m. tonight and operations tomorrow will be dependent on the weather. The locations are available in the Charleston County Hurricane Guide: http://bit.ly/22prNZK.


Transportation Update from CARTA
Update: 5 p.m., Thursday, October 6, 2016

CARTA will end its emergency service – on-demand pickup for seniors, pet owners and those at blue hurricane signs downtown – at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 6. Until then, anyone who needs a ride is asked to call the Charleston County Emergency Operations Center at (843) 746-3900 to get started.


Mayor Tecklenburg, Emergency Management Team Deliver City Storm Briefing
Update: 2:00 p.m., Thursday, October 6, 2016



City of Charleston Hurricane Matthew AM Update
Update: 11:35 a.m., Thursday, October 6, 2016

Hurricane Matthew will approach the SC coast late Friday night/Saturday morning. It is expected to be a category 2 or 3 hurricane at that time. Officials are expecting an inundation of water from a 4 to 8 foot storm surge, high speed winds and 8 to 14 inches of heavy rain associated with the storm.

Governor Nikki Haley spoke at a press conference this morning urging citizens to evacuate.

Mayor Tecklenburg echoed that warning, “It’s not in our nature to be inhospitable, but now is the time to leave Charleston. We are facing the threat of severe flooding caused by storm surge, high tide and potentially over a foot of rain hitting us all at once, and for that reason we are urging everyone to evacuate while there is still time.”

Governor Haley reported that as of 6 a.m. on Thursday, 175,000 people had already evacuated.

The lane reversal on I-26 is running smoothly. The average travel time to Columbia from Charleston on the reversed lanes is about an hour and a half.

The City of Charleston Municipal Emergency Operations Center (MEOC) moved to OPCON 1 at 3 p.m. yesterday in coordination with Governor Nikki Haley’s evacuation order. This status fully staffs the MEOC with members of the City’s Emergency Management Team. This 24 hour staffing will continue until the threat from Hurricane Matthew has passed.

The City of Charleston Citizen’s Information Line is active: (843) 973-7219.


City of Charleston Creates Hurricane Information Maps
Update: 8:35 a.m., Thursday, October 6, 2016

City of Charleston Hurricane Information Maps

• Evacuation Routes
• City Parking Garages
• Open County Shelters
• City Services
• Potential Storm Surge
• Storm Recovery

More information is added as it becomes available.


City of Charleston Hurricane Matthew PM Update
Update: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, October 5, 2016

The City of Charleston Municipal Emergency Operations Center (MEOC) moved to OPCON 1 at 3 p.m. in coordination with Governor Nikki Haley’s evacuation order. This status fully staffs the EOC with members of the City’s Emergency Management Team. This 24 hour staffing will continue until the threat from Hurricane Matthew has passed.

The City of Charleston Citizen’s Information Line is active: (843) 973-7219.

After distributing 15,500 sandbags—a record number of sandbags for a single event—at four separate locations, the city discontinued sandbag operations. To purchase sandbags, citizens should contact a local home hardware store.

City garbage and trash collections have been suspended. Collections will resume on Monday, October 10.

City of Charleston closed offices at 1 p.m. today. City offices will remain closed on Thursday and Friday. The early release on Wednesday and closure on Thursday and Friday does not apply to public safety employees or other personnel needed to provide essential City services.

City of Charleston Municipal Court hearings scheduled for today, October 5 through Friday, October 7 have been cancelled and will be rescheduled. Notice of the rescheduled hearing times will be sent to the affected parties when the times have been set.

City of Charleston Recreation Department activities scheduled today, October 5 through Sunday, October 9 have been cancelled.

Board, Commission and Committee meetings scheduled for Wednesday, October 5 through Friday, October 7 are postponed. All items that were scheduled for public hearing will appear in updated agendas in their original order. Amended agendas and board dates will be set next week.

The October 5 West Ashley Farmers Market and the October 8 Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square are both cancelled.

Charleston County Government announced earlier today that the following shelters are now open:

• North Charleston High School, 1087 E Montague Ave, North Charleston, SC 29405
• Stall High School, 3625 Ashley Phosphate Rd, North Charleston, SC 29418
• A.C. Corcoran Elementary, 8585 Vistavia Rd, North Charleston, SC 29406 
• Midland Park Primary, 2415 Midland Park Road, North Charleston, SC 29406
• Ladson Elementary, 3321 Ladson Rd, Ladson, SC 29456
• Edmund A. Burns Elementary, 3750 Dorchester Road, North Charleston, SC 29405 (Pet / Pet Owner Shelter)

Coastal Evacuation Routes can be read here: http://bit.ly/2dphirh

CARTA began to assist in transporting citizens from downtown emergency pickup locations (blue hurricane signs) at 3:00 p.m. today until dark. Emergency service will resume at 8 a.m. tomorrow. Those requesting a ride from downtown Charleston are asked to call (843) 724-7420. Transportation will be provided to an available Charleston County hurricane shelter.

Charleston County will provide pickups at all non-downtown locations and those sites can be found in the Charleston County Hurricane Guide: http://bit.ly/22prNZK


Information Regarding Evacuation Routes
Update: 6 p.m., Wednesday, October 5

The Governor’s evacuation order is now in effect. The State of South Carolina and law enforcement officials have made it clear that motorists entering major evacuation routes will be required to evacuate. Once you enter an evacuation route, you will not be allowed to deviate from the route for local travel. If you are still making preparations to evacuate and need to move around the city to do so, you must use alternative routes to avoid forced evacuation.

For example, citizens who are on Daniel Island and need to travel to West Ashley to make preparations to evacuate must travel through Mount Pleasant, taking the Ravenel Bridge to the peninsula and continue to Highway 17 or Highway 61.

For more information about evacuation routes and procedures visit the SC Department of Transportation website at http://www.dot.state.sc.us/getting/evacuation.aspx.


City Discontinues Sandbag Operations
Update: 4 p.m., Wednesday, October 5

After distributing 15,500 sandbags--a record number of sandbags for a single event--at four separate locations, the city has discontinued sandbag operations.To purchase sandbags, citizens should contact a local home hardware store.


Mayor Tecklenburg, City Emergency Management Team Deliver Storm Briefing
Update #3: 2 p.m., Wednesday, October 5



City of Charleston Cancellations
Updated at 3 p.m., Wednesday, October 5

City garbage and trash collections have been suspended. Collections will resume on Monday.

City of Charleston will close offices at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday October 5th. In addition, City offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday. The early release on Wednesday and closure on Thursday and Friday does not apply to public safety employees or other personnel needed to provide essential City services.

City of Charleston Municipal Court hearings scheduled for today, October 5 through Friday, October 7 are cancelled and will be rescheduled. Notice of the rescheduled hearing times will be sent to the affected parties when the times have been set.

City of Charleston Recreation Department activities scheduled today, October 5 through Sunday, October 9 are cancelled.

Board, Commission and Committee meetings scheduled for Wednesday, October 5 through Friday, October 7 are postponed. All items that were scheduled for public hearing will appear in updated agendas in their original order. Amended agendas and board dates will be set next week.
The October 5 West Ashley Farmers Market and the October 8 Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square are both cancelled.

The October 5 West Ashley Farmers Market and the October 8 Charleston Farmers Market in Marion Square are both cancelled.


City of Charleston Prepares for Hurricane Matthew
Update #1: 6 p.m., Tuesday, October 4

As of 6 p.m., The City of Charleston is operating at OPCON 4. The city’s Emergency Management Department is in close communication with Charleston County and other local agencies about the potential for severe weather and receives frequent updates from the National Weather Service.

The city has been making preparations over the last couple of days for the potential impact of severe weather caused by Hurricane Matthew. Public Service Department employees are cleaning streets and clearing drains, ditches and basins in anticipation of heavy rains and high tides. Other city departments are making preparations to assist in evacuations, protect city buildings and pre-stage equipment throughout the city for post-storm recovery.

Residents are asked to assist the city in preparation efforts by securing loose objects on their property and cleaning up any debris that could clog storm drains.

The city of Charleston will shift to OPCON 3 and open the Municipal Emergency Operations Center (MEOC) at 8 a.m., Wednesday, October 5 to manage the city preparation and response to the storm. Representatives from throughout the city including Police, Fire, Public Service and Parks will staff the MEOC to ensure a quick an efficient response to any issues caused by the storm.

The City of Charleston has a limited number of free sandbags available to assist residents who anticipate localized flooding. They will be distributed from 7:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. as long as it is safe to do so and sandbags remain available. The sandbags may be picked up from the following locations:

• City of Charleston Bees Ferry Fire Station at 1985 Bees Ferry Road.
• Milford Street Public Works Operations Complex at 2150 Milford Street. Enter the first gate on the right and proceed to the rear of the complex.

Sand, shovels and bags will be available for citizens to build their own sandbags at two James Island locations in cooperation with the Town of James Island:

• Dock Street Park, 1433 Patterson Avenue. Open dawn to dusk.
• Pinckney Park, 461 Fort Johnson Road. Open dawn to dusk.

Residents are limited to 15 sandbags per household. To purchase sandbags, citizens should contact a local home hardware store.

All City of Charleston parking garage locations will be open to the public to park their cars through the storm for free. Gates will be open starting at 3 p.m., Wednesday, October 5 through 8 a.m., Monday, October 10. Citizens should be advised that these facilities will not be staffed during the storm. Elevators will not be operational. Do not park on the ground level or the top deck.

For information about evacuation routes, pick-up points, and shelters visit www.scemd.org and download the Charleston County Hurricane Preparedness Guide.

For additional information residents should call the City of Charleston citizen information line starting at 8 a.m. on Wednesday at 843-973-7219.