Important Information regarding Hurricane Florence

As is the case with living near any coast along the ocean, you sometimes have to deal with the potential for bad weather. Today is no different, although this one has the potential to be history-making. With Hurricane Florence heading the the direction of the coastal regions of North Carolina and possibly South Carolina, the local authorities in our county have asked that we share vital emergency information to those in the area. We still do not know exactly where this storm will make landfall, but everyone is being told to check your evacuation zones via the SCEMD app. All you have to do is enter in your address and it will tell you if you are in an evacuation zone. Even if you are not in the evacuation zone, you are being strongly advised to heed the warnings and plan accordingly.

At 5am, the contraflow plan will begin, but you will not be allowed on the interstate as they get read for the lane reversal. Exits will be shut down and no one will be allowed eastbound. According to the SC Highway Patrol, there will be NO ACCESS into Charleston for the morning commute. At 12 noon, the lanes will officially be opened for contra-flow. If you get onto the lane reversal, you will ONLY be able to get off at the Ridgeville exit. If you miss that exit, you will have to go up to Orangeburg. 

From the County: 

All Dorchester County Administrative Offices, Courts, Convenience Sites, the Dorchester County Library, the Dorchester County Career & Technology Center (DCC&TC) and all Dorchester School Districts Two (DD2) and Four (DD4) Schools will be closed on Tuesday, September 11, 2018, and will remain closed through Friday, September 14, 2018.

A decision on office and school closures on Monday will be made and announced at a later date. 

The sandbag distribution sites at Gahagan Park, Dorchester County Fire Rescue Station 21 and Wescott Park are out of sandbags. 

Sandbag distribution will begin at Harleyville Town Hall and the Hutto Ace Hardware in St. George at 5:00 PM, today.

Dorchester County Government staff and the Town of Summerville Public Work Department worked in tandem to make and distribute 15,000 filled sandbags to Dorchester County residents.