Hurricane Dorian: Updates affecting Sumter, Clarendon, Lee for Thursday, Sept. 5
Evacuation orders lifted for 3 coastal counties
The mandatory evacuation order for three of eighth counties will be lifted at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Gov. Henry McMaster announced during a press conference with state agencies that residents in Beaufort, Jasper and Colleton counties will be allowed to return home.
Local authorities will determine specific return protocols. McMaster and the S.C. Emergency Management Division said residents should listen to local officials for instructions.
While weather has improved enough to lift the evacuation orders in those areas, motorists should be cautious of fallen trees, downed power lines and standing water in and around roadways, McMaster said. Limited power outages continue to affect the area, and returning residents may not have power.
Mandatory evacuation orders will remain in effect for all zones in Charleston, Dorchester, Berkeley, Georgetown and Horry counties.
Residents can report any damages to their property from Hurricane Dorian by using a damage assessment tool in the S.C. Emergency Manager Mobile app for smart phones.
--- Kayla Robins (3 p.m.)
Tornadoes blowing roofs off N.C. homes
A North Carolina sheriff's office is reporting roofs blown off as Hurricane Dorian spins up tornadoes on its way up the coast of the Carolinas.
The Brunswick County Sheriff's Office posted photos of several houses with roofs torn off in a community known as The Farm, not far from the state line with South Carolina. Debris was also strewn through grassy areas.
Elsewhere, the sheriff's office showed images of winds that had overturned RVs and at least one boat parked on land.
The sheriff's office said there were no injuries reported.
Dorian is currently moving up the East Coast as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm devastated the Bahamas as it moved over the islands earlier this week, causing at least 20 deaths.
--- The Associated Press (2:25 p.m.)
Georgetown suspends emergency services due to wind
Officials in a coastal South Carolina county have suspended emergency services during high winds from Hurricane Dorian .
Georgetown County officials said in tweet Thursday afternoon that fire and EMS services had been called off "until wind speeds subside to a safe level."
Officials also noted that anyone who called 911 during the suspension would be put on a waiting list.
County officials also said Georgetown sheriff's deputies had been pulled back from areas south of Highway 521 due to the high winds.
Dorian is currently moving up the East Coast as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm devastated the Bahamas as it moved over the islands earlier this week, causing at least 20 deaths.
--- AP (2:25 p.m.)
Wind tears church roof off near Charleston
Part of the roof of a South Carolina church has blown off in the torrential winds and rain of Hurricane Dorian .
A section of about 25 feet (7.6 meters) of green corrugated metal roofing lay crumpled on the ground Thursday afternoon in front of Holy City Church on James Island, near Charleston.
Other portions of the roof flapped in the wind, peeling back to reveal wooden roofing slats underneath. The green and brown trunk of a large tree next to the church was also uprooted in the winds and rain.
Dorian is currently moving up the East Coast as a Category 2 hurricane. The storm devastated the Bahamas as it moved over the islands earlier this week, causing at least 20 deaths.
--- AP (2:25 p.m.)
Storm stays at 110 mph but keeps moving northeast
The eye of Hurricane Dorian is just offshore of Cape Romain about 60 miles south of Myrtle Beach. It is still circulating with 110 mph winds as a Category 2 storm and moving at 8 mph to the north-northeast, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. advisory.
Tropical storm warnings have been discontinued for the coast of Georgia, and a storm surge warning has been discontinued south of South Santee River.
--- Kayla Robins (2 p.m.)
Southeastern states send first responders for response effort
First responders from all over South Carolina are making their way toward the coast as they prepare to help recover from Hurricane Dorian.
In addition to South Carolina’s first responders, other neighboring states are sending first responding teams to help, as well.
Chase Dearman of the public information office at the S.C. Emergency Management Division said, as right now, Tennessee, Louisiana, Kentucky, West Virginia, Indiana and Texas have people in South Carolina assisting as part of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
Tennessee sent critical emergency management and medical assistance to both the Carolinas.
As a 30-member nurse strike team from the Tennessee Department of Health was sent to Raleigh, North Carolina, to provide medical care.
A five-person incident management team was deployed to Columbia to assist local and state logistics and response efforts.
From Louisiana, a 10-member Incident Support Team from Baton Rouge is headed to Columbia after Gov. John Edwards approved their deployment to help in recovery efforts.
West Virginia sent first responders from Kanawha, Logan and Jan-Care counties to Columbia, as well.
The list of states assisting South Carolina is subject to change as this is a dynamic situation.
--- Shelbie Goulding (11:15 a.m.)
Dorian down to 110 mph
The eyewall of Dorian is spiraling just offshore of the eastern coast of South Carolina.
At about 50 miles east-southeast of Charleston, the storm has lost 5 miles of strength and now has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. It is moving north-northeast at 8 mph, a movement it has been maintaining all day as tropical storm warnings continue to extend up the East Coast into Delaware.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles from the center.
--- Kayla Robins (11 a.m.)
Charleston sitting with 23,500 power outages
Charleston County currently has 23,522 power outages from electric cooperatives, according to the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. Berkeley County is at 18,822 outages.
Electric cooperatives have reported more than 66,000 outages.
Duke Energy Progress, which covers northern South Carolina, including Sumter and Clarendon counties but excluding Charleston, and most of North Carolina, has a total of 5,562 customers without power, including 26 in Clarendon and 27 in Sumter.
--- Kayla Robins (11 a.m.)
People using emergency shelters as resource in Sumter, Clarendon, Lee
Nine people have chosen to ride the storm out at Mayewood Middle School, a campus that is permanently closed for students but has remained accessible for uses such as this for the American Red Cross.
According to a representative from the agency in Sumter, the shelter open in Summerton has 56 people, while 14 are at Lee Central High School, 11 in Turbeville and 22 at Manning High School.
--- Kayla Robins (11 a.m.)
Charleston, Myrtle Beach getting gusty winds
A wind gust of 73 miles per hour was reported at Shutes Folly in Charleston Harbor, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 10 a.m. update.
The official observing site at the airport in North Myrtle Beach recently reported a wind gust of 61 mph.
Hurricane Dorian is currently about 65 miles southeast of Charleston and still has maximum sustained winds of 115 mph. It is moving north-northeast at 8 mph.
--- Kayla Robins (10 a.m.)
Shelter animals evacauted from South Carolina coast
Hundreds of shelter animals from coastal South Carolina have arrived in Delaware ahead of Hurricane Dorian's expected landfall.
The News Journal of Wilmington reports the animals were moved from shelters at risk of flooding. The Category 3 storm began making its way across the Carolinas Thursday and was expected to flood low-lying areas and bring enough rain to cause flash flooding concerns well inland.
Nearly 200 animals were airlifted off the endangered coast and picked up by Brandywine Valley SPCA early Tuesday. About 150 other animals were expected to arrive that night via land transport from Best Friends Animal Society. The animals may be up for adoption throughout New England later this week.
Brandywine says the lessened South Carolina shelter populations will make space for local pets impacted by Dorian.
--- The Associated Press (10 a.m.)
Dorian strengthens overnight
Hurricane Dorian has grown back to a Category 3 storm.
It is currently 70 miles south-southeast of Charleston and about 170 miles southeast of Columbia, having grown in strength since last night to maximum sustained winds of 115 miles per hour.
According to the National Weather Service in Columbia, the storm is moving north-northeast at 8 mph as of the agency’s 8 a.m. update, marking the first northeastward turn it has made.
Hurricane-force winds extend out 60 miles from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend out 195 miles from the center.
Sumter, Clarendon, Lee counties remain under a tropical storm warning and flash flood watch, as does Bamberg, Orangeburg and Calhoun.
Shaw Air Force Base is operating at HURCON 1, which means destructive winds are possible within 12 hours. Col. Derek O’Malley, 20th Fighter Wing commander, said on Facebook that the base will shift to HURCON 1C if winds go above 35 mph.
All base facilities and services are closed except for the main gate, which is open 24/7, the 441 gate, which will close at 10 p.m., the dining facility, which is operating under weekend and holiday hours, and the fitness center and annex for 24/7 access only.
--- Kayla Robins (8 a.m)