McMaster declares State of Emergency ahead of Hurricane Helene

Gov. Henry McMaster today issued Executive Order 2024-24, declaring a State of Emergency in preparation for the potential effects of Hurricane Helene.

The governor's order activates the South Carolina Emergency Operations Plan and directs the South Carolina Emergency Management Division to coordinate with all relevant state agencies in preparation for potential requests for state assistance from local officials and county emergency management leaders. 

"Although South Carolina will likely avoid the brunt of Hurricane Helene's impacts, the storm is still expected to bring dangerous flooding, high winds and isolated tornadoes to many parts of the state," McMaster said in a news release. "This State of Emergency ensures that Team South Carolina has the necessary resources in place to respond to these potential impacts. South Carolinians in potentially affected areas should start to take precautions now and monitor local weather forecasts over the next several days."  

According to forecasters with the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Helene is currently situated in the Gulf of Mexico and is anticipated to intensify before making landfall along the coast of Florida as a hurricane on Sept. 26. The storm is then expected to impact South Carolina and other southeastern states with strong winds, significant rainfall, flash flooding and an enhanced risk of isolated tornadoes.

The entire state is under a tropical storm warning with the worst of the conditions likely to blow through Thursday night, with rain through Friday.

High school sports have already moved football games up or back across the tri-county.

SCEMD has several resources available for people to prepare for hurricanes, including hurricane.sc. This site is an interactive tool for anyone needing a quick reference on hurricane preparedness.

Additionally, the SC Emergency Manager is available in the App Store and on Google Play: http://onelink.to/dn92rx.

The official 2024 S.C. Hurricane Guide is available in English or Spanish at scemd.org.