City emergency operations are at OPCON 1, as the city’s operational focus begins to shift from pre-storm evacuation and preparation to protecting life and property during the event and recovery thereafter.
The City of Charleston provided a shuttle service to citizens in need of transportation to a shelter between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. today, September 13. As of early this afternoon, 18 individuals had been transported.
Shelter information can be found on the South Carolina Emergency Management Division website: https://scemd.org.
This evening, City Council passed four emergency ordinances authorizing the mayor to prohibit price gauging, block access to impassable streets and areas and, only if necessary, to implement a curfew. The mayor has no intention to enact a curfew at this time and would only do so if required by circumstances.
The Police and Fire departments have pre-positioned personnel and assets to facilitate a robust response as needs develop throughout the storm and recovery periods.
In anticipation of Florence’s impact, public service street sweepers began sweeping debris out of streets on the northern end of the peninsula and worked south throughout the day.
As of this afternoon, the following parking garages had vacancies: Charleston Place, Camden Exchange, Concord, 34 Saint Philip Street, Midtown and Aquarium 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. All other city-owned garages are full.
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.