City emergency operations are at OPCON 1. Today, city employees continued storm preparations and began plans to shift to response, while officials stressed the importance of following the governor’s order to evacuate.
"Florence is a deadly storm on an unpredictable path, and the only safe place to be is out of harm's way,” said Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg. “If you haven't already evacuated, now is the time to get on the road. We’ll be here to mind the store until you and your loved ones can return safely."
CARTA regular and evacuation routes will continue service until 9 p.m. tonight. Full details on CARTA’s service can be found here: http://www.ridecarta.com/Florence.
Shelter information can be found on the South Carolina Emergency Management Division website: https://scemd.org.
Public service employees completed both Tuesday and Wednesday’s garbage and trash routes on the peninsula, James Island and West Ashley inside of I-526. Garbage and trash collection has now been suspended for the duration of the storm with the exception of pick-ups deemed necessary for public safety. Citizens are asked to secure their cans. Additionally, public service tested water pumps and made arrangements to acquire additional pumps, if needed.
With more than 53,000 sandbags distributed, city sandbag operations have ceased at all four locations.
Charleston Fire Department officials went door-to-door in low lying neighborhoods to pass out evacuation and hurricane safety information and pre-positioned boats and supplies in areas that may be effected by flood waters.
City of Charleston recreation facilities are closed until after Hurricane Florence has passed and conditions have been reviewed to ensure they can reopen safely. All programs and events are suspended until further notice.
City of Charleston owned parking garages (except for the Gaillard Center garage) are open for citizens to park their vehicles for free for the duration of the storm. Boats and trailers are prohibited. Parking garage locations can be found on the city’s website here: http://www.charleston-sc.gov/index.aspx?nid=1025.
For the most accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts, residents should stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center (www.nhc.noaa.gov/) and National Weather Service Charleston (www.weather.gov/chs/) websites, as well as local media and the FEMA app.
The city’s Citizen Services Desk at 843-724-7311 is being staffed 24 hours a day. Updates about the city’s preparations and response can be found online at http://www.charleston-sc.gov/hurricane-information.
Additional hurricane preparedness information can be found at www.scemd.org.