Officials in South Carolina are not wasting any time preparing for Future Imelda.
As the storm continues to advance in the tropics, emergency declarations are being made by state and local officials.
In Myrtle Beach on Friday, Mayor Brenda Bethune cautioned that the civil emergency declaration was not meant to alarm residents, but to better prepare to make the quick actions and protections necessary in a fast-moving emergency scenario.
“As a city, we want to be prepared to respond quickly if necessary,” Bethune said. “This declaration gives us the tools we need to protect our residents and businesses.”
The Carolinas Under Threat
Governor Henry McMaster of South Carolina made a declaration of emergency for the entire state, urging residents to begin preparing for the storm’s arrival and saying, “We have seen this before. Now is the time to start paying attention to forecasts, updates, and alerts from official sources and begin making preparations.”
South Carolina has prepared a hurricane guide for the entire state, with official contacts and resources, advice on supplies, and evacuation maps.
The City of North Charleston announced three locations where sandbags will be provided for local residents starting Saturday morning.
Elsewhere, Lake Johnson in Raleigh, North Carolina was lowered in advance of the storm.
Flooding And Death In The Caribbean
The seeds for what will become Imelda have already made significant impacts in the Caribbean on Friday.
In the Dominican Republic, authorities evacuated hundreds of people and declared a red alert in five provinces. Heavy rain caused major flooding of rivers and streams, leaving dozens of communities cut off by landslides and fallen bridges. In a community north of Santo Domingo, a bridge collapsed while a truck was crossing and killed the driver.
Flooding in the southwestern province of Azua, one of the areas most affected by the rains, displaced at least 774 people. 26 people were being sheltered due to the overflowing of the Tábara River, Civil Defense spokesman Jensen Sánchez told The AP.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
