Not a matter of if, but when: Storm prep takes on more urgency amid shortages

The area has been hit with the historic 2015 flooding and 2016’s Hurricane Matthew. Other tropical systems have impacted the area, downing trees, power lines and causing sporadic damage in subsequent years.

Eight tropical systems, which were downgraded to tropical storms by the time they arrived to The T&D Region, had impact locally in some form or fashion in each of the last seven years.

Though The T&D Region has not been impacted by any hurricanes or tropical storms through the end of July, that does not mean residents should become complacent.

It is not a matter of if the next hurricane or tropical storm strikes, but when.

Orangeburg County Director of Emergency Services Billy Staley says residents should always be ready for a storm and perhaps more so this year with supply-chain shortages.

“People maybe ought to prepare a little bit more in advance,” Staley said. “The amount of supplies that we are used to having on store shelves — it may not be that plentiful this year. There is a need for people to make sure they plan a little further in advance. I would encourage people to do.”

“There is not much of anything that you need to buy right now that you won’t have trouble finding that the supply chain is not impacted by,” Staley said.

One area of readiness that is particularly important not only for this year but for all storms are power outages.

“People need to be prepared to deal with the daily needs of life without having electricity for a couple of days and they need to make sure they have a plan,” Staley said.

“That plan needs to include food, water those basic supplies,” Staley continued, adding first-aid kits should include medicines, important documents (health care information, property titles, insurance records) flashlights, radios, cell phone with chargers, family and emergency contact information, emergency blankets and maps.

Other items that should be available include: baby supplies (bottles, formula, baby food, diapers); games for children; pet supplies; extra set of car and house keys, manual can opener, whistle, N95 or surgical masks, matches, rain gear, towels, work gloves, tools/supplies for securing home; extra clothing, duct tape, scissors, household liquid bleach and sleeping bags.

Staley said generally residents prepare according to a storm’s projected strength and path. He is confident local residents will take the necessary precautions.

“Preparedness is nothing new,” Staley said. “A lot of people prepare every day and don’t realize they are preparing.”

“So if we get a tropical storm, not many people are worried about it because they know the power may go out for an hour, two or three,” Staley said. “They are prepared for stuff like that, but when you start talking about a Category 3 or Category 4 hurricane, sometimes they look at a certain depth that they need a little bit more preparedness capability.”

Staley said another thing is preparation for possible intense storms such as the landfalling Category 4 Hurricane Hugo back in 1989. He noted there were individuals who boarded up windows around the lake during that storm.

“We can’t rule out storms of that intensity here further up in the Orangeburg area,” Staley said.

In Calhoun County, Calhoun County Director of Emergency Management David Chojnacki suggested individuals sign up for Code Red Alerts from the county to help prepare for hurricane season. About 28 counties currently use the alert system, including the state.

“When there is important information that needs to be out in the public, that is how I will notify the public,” Chojnacki said.

Individuals can sign up by texting calhounema to 99411 or they can also text signmeup to 99411 and somebody from the library will call to assist.

Another thing individuals should have is a weather-alert system with a battery backup for localized alerts.

“They should build up their two-week food supply,” Chojnacki said. “Any government agency is not going to really be able to respond for at least 24 or 72 hours, so people should have a minimum of 72. I would recommend two weeks’ worth of food and water for each person and to also include their pets.”

Chojnacki said people should have an emergency contact set up for family and friends to use outside of the state to swap information if the local phones go down.

“Texting is great because I might send the text today with no signal from the tower but as soon as it gets the signal, that text will be sent out to somebody,” Chojnacki said. “Texts are smaller in size than a phone call. Lines don’t get bogged down with texts as quickly as they do with the cellphone towers.”

Chojnacki said there are plans in Calhoun County to improve weather information access.

He hopes by the end of July to have nine out of 10 weather stations installed throughout the county. The stations will be located in the Sandy Run area down toward Midway Fire Department.

“This way residents, and of course our employees and responders, can look at exactly what is happening in the area they are closest too,” Chojnacki said. The stations will calculate rainfall totals, winds, temperature, the current weather and the forecast.

The stations will be able to be accessed free of charge via a mobile app.

The department is also looking to contract with Earth Networks to build an app for Calhoun County Emergency Management that would push out weather and emergency notifications.

Emergency preparedness

From the emergency response side, Staley said storm readiness, response and recovery are the norm for each storm.

Prior to a storm, Orangeburg County Emergency Services continually monitors the weather and conducts messaging with partners such as the Orangeburg County Department of Social Services and Department of Public Works, the fire departments, the school district, colleges, universities, cities, towns and utilities.

For example, schools are kept abreast of severe weather to help facilitate scheduling changes such as school closures and early dismissals.

“We push stuff out on our Facebook pages when you see the severe potential stepping up,” Staley said. “We make sure we are all planning at the same level.

“Sometimes it is a matter of them pushing information back to us about their readiness level and how well they will be able to respond to it and what we think that common operating picture will look like for that event.”

From the emergency-response side, finding supplies should be less of a challenge than for individuals trying to find items in a store. Staley says the county has contracts with suppliers and FEMA has contracts with federal partners.

“We got places we can reach to get the most cortical things, but it ain’t going to be fast,” Staley said. “The flip side is we may not be able to get everything on our wish list or as many as we ultimately need, but it will come down to how many can you get by with. It depends on how big the storm is and the availability of everybody’s resources.”

“We encourage the public to have a plan so you don’t need us,” Staley continued, noting that when the weather gets really bad, emergency personnel such as EMS and fire cannot respond due to the precarious conditions.

Chojnacki said the county’s emergency department prepares a couple of days before the storm is expected to hit. He will call an emergency services meeting of all first responders, and all groups, departments and agencies that have some form of response before, during or after a storm.

“We just make sure we are all on our tiptoes and that everything is ready to move as needed,” Chojnacki said.

He said the county has tanks for gasoline and diesel for emergency services vehicles and makes sure these are topped off.

Prior to a storm, the county’s roads and bridges department will ensure flood-prone areas are properly barricaded. Buildings and grounds will go out and put sandbags around buildings to prevent floodwaters from entering.

Plans are also put together.

“We will usually get together and discuss what preparations need to be done,” Chojnacki said. “EMS and fire will not respond if sustained winds are 35 mph or more. That is because their vehicles are so big they can flip over.”

Chojnacki said during a storm, it is about monitoring and responding to events using technology such as Palmetto EOC which is a tool that allows counties to share information and updates within the county departments and throughout the state agencies.

He said Interstate 26 traffic cams are monitored and weather radar is monitored.

Chojnacki said following a storm, it is all about damage assessment.

“Our roads and bridges guys and building and grounds will go out an inspect buildings,” he said.

He said the county’s damage assessment team, which is annually trained by the state, ranks damages in order to determine if the damages trigger the county receiving federal funding from FEMA to help compensate for county resources used in a storm and individual assistance to handle individual damages.

Bamberg County Emergency Services Director Tiffany Kemmerlin said storm preparations are done on a daily basis.

“We are constantly ensuring our Emergency Operations Plan is current, coordinating and training with key partners and staff as well as keeping the citizens in the community informed,” she said. 

Kemmerlin encourages residents to prepare for storms.

“Have a plan, make it personal,” Kemmerlin said, quoting the South Carolina Emergency Management Division’s advice. “Having a personalized emergency plan is critical for each family. It’s always best to be proactive vs. reactive.”

Kemmerlin also encourages residents to use resources such as SCEMD and the Federal Emergency Management Division.