On June 13, Kiawah Island held a Disaster Preparation meeting at the Sandcastle from 10:00am to 3:00pm. All residents of the island were invited and the turnout was comfortable. The second floor conference room was set up with several rows of chairs facing a projector screen while along the side walls, booths were set up featuring disaster and hurricane preparation information from everyone from FEMA to local insurance agencies. Tumiko Rucker, Kiawah Island Town Administrator, introduced the meeting with a list of the presenting speakers and a tantalizing pile of fun, useful hurricane preparedness items that would be given away in drawings throughout the length of the conference. After thanking all of the speakers, Mrs. Rucker handed the mike to Mayor Wert, who thanked Tumiko in turn for all of her hard work in putting the conference together. With one hand he waved toward the long, plate glass window overlooking the tumbling ocean and gathering dark sky. “Beautiful, isn’t it?” He asked the audience. “But it could all be gone in an instant. It is mine and the Council’s responsibility to determine when we need to leave this island in the event of a hurricane and my greatest concern in apathy. Look at Katrina and the Gulf Coast. If you hear we have to leave, take the information you’ve learned today and go!” Over half a dozen speakers were lined up to talk for the afternoon, so without further ado, Mayor Wert gave the floor to Captain Cliff Parker with the Charleston County EMS.
Each speaker presented important points about being prepared for emergency situations. From the federal government to local rescue teams, everyone had vital tips, handy lists and an array of contact information to find out more about any natural disaster or otherwise that might occur on the island. Following is a list of the speakers central points, along with contact information for further elaboration or have more detailed questions. Each speaker expressed their interest in speaking with anyone who wanted further details on their specific departments:
Captain Cliff Parker, member of the Disaster Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) for South Carolina
Captain Parker has been a paramedic for 25 years and helped to develop the DMAT team for South Carolina, the only one currently in existence. He is a John’s Island resident and has two golden retrievers, Rufus and Bear.
- DMAT is federally coordinated and deploys as part of the national response system.
- DMAT’s job is to come in following a disaster and medically assist. They are not there to take over an operation. Their goal is to promote the development of community emergency response teams.
- There are currently over 7,000 DMATsupport personnel in 107 teams across the nation.
- Following a disaster in South Carolina, divisions of DMAT can be on their way within 12 hours of the call.
- DMAT has the ability to set up temporary medical sites and support patient collection areas
- All members of the DMAT team are medically certified and members of the military reserve.
- Divisions of DMAT:
- National Disaster Medical System (NDMS)
- Comes in after a disaster and asseses the health and medical situation
- Provide mortuary services (DMORT)
- Provide veterinarian services (VMAT)
- Designed to go into any situation and be self sufficient for up to 72 hours.
- NDMS cannot just walk into a community, they must receive permission before helping.
- Along with the DMAT teams, NDMS has 72 coordinating centers and 1,018 hospitals prepared to assist them in an emergency situation.
- National Nurse Response Team (NNRT)
- National Pharmacy Response Team (NPRT)
- Retired physicians are welcome to volunteer with NDMS, “You just have to be willing to go where everyone else is running away from,” Captain Parker pointed out.
To contact Captian Cliff Parker, visit the SC DMAT website at www.sc1dmat.org or email him at depcommander@sc1dmat.org.
Brad Miller, meteorologist from Live 5 News
Along with bringing the Storm Tracker, the only mobile weather lab in the Lowcountry, Mr. Miller distributed several hurricane survival guides and shared his extensive knowledge of hurricane weather patterns.
- Mr. Miller predicted an average, but more active hurricane season this year with between 15 and 16 named storms.
- El Nino caused last year to be pretty quiet, however, that weather trend has since relaxed and we have entered a la Nina, or more normal, year.
- Also, last year saw a trough (an elongated area of relatively low atmospheric pressure) sitting along the Atlantic coastline which caused storms to curve away from the mainland and hit outlying islands instead.
- This year, all major evacuation routes within an evacuation area will be switched to one, outgoing lane the moment a mandatory evacuation is declared, according to Governor Sanford. “No matter what, you still won’t be going 60 mph during an evacuation,” Brad pointed out.
- Following a question concerning the potential failure of the U.S. outdated weather satellite, QuickStat, Mr. Miller pointed out that the European satellite ASCAT could handle weather imaging, although the picture would be the difference between a person with glasses seeing the world sharply (the QuickStat) and then taking off the glasses and seeing the same thing, but blurry (through the ASCAT). A new satellite, however, is not projected to launch until 2016 at a cost of $400 million.
You can contact Brad Miller by emailing him at bmiller@live5news.com.
Becky Dennis, Kiawah Island Utility|
Keeping everything to the point as best she could, Ms. Dennis noted several situations during a hurricane that are not usually considered as residents are packing up and leaving.
- Make sure you know where your home shut-off valve for your water is so you can shut it down in case of an evacuation. If you don’t know, find it! It is typically located close to the house. You can call Kiawah Utility and they will tell you, but don’t wait until a storm because it is most likely that no one will be available to help at that time.
- Unless there is a mandatory evacuation on the island, water service will not be shut off.
- Kiawah Island Utility has approximately 4.5 million gallons of water reserved above ground and another 60 million gallons of potable water underground so that the island can sustain itself for a time if the main water processing plant in Berkeley county gets shut down. Should there be a mandatory evacuation, however, expect be have to boil water.
- If power to the island is lost, Kiawah Utility will still be able to provide water, since they have 2 generators available for use.
- Kiawah Island Utility has only gone down once since 1978 and that was for hurricane Hugo.
- When you return home from an evacuation, make sure your water line is secure and be sure to limit the number of flushes on your toilet and shower usage; it is most likely that water for the island will be operating on generators and they can only handle so much activity.
Kiawah Island Utility is located at 31 Sora Rail Rd. on Kiawah Island. You can call them at 768-0641 or visit their website at www.kiawah.org/KIU/KIU.htm.
Joni Renhack, Project IMPACT
Project Impact is an on-going initiative in the Charleston County Area that performs projects which help make our community better able to resist damages due to hazard events.
- Make sure you know your area’s flood risk. All of Kiawah Island is in a flood area, but everyone should know the level of flooding that they can expect from different categories of hurricanes.
- www.msc.fema.gov probides flood zone information on your property.
- Chaerleston County Zoning division can also tell you the flood zone of your property by calling 202-7200.
- Charleston County Building Services can also help you in finding your flood zone by calling 202-6930.
- Ms. Renhack reiterated that everyone should make sure that they are prepared and that they have insurance coverage for all types of potential natural disasters (including tornadoes, earthquakes and tsunamis). “Also,” she said, “if your Town tells you to evacuate, do it!”
Project Impact can be contacted at 202-6940 or email them at buildingservices@charlestoncounty.org.
Mr. Ron Bourn, Seabrook Island CERT team
Mr. Bourn spoke on the great success Seabrook Island has had in forming it’s own Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). More information is available in the article on Seabrook’s Hurricane Preparedness meeting on page 5.
For more information, please email Jim Tarter at jtarter@charlestoncounty.org, call 202-7405 or visit their website at www.charlestoncounty.org.
Evan Johnstone, Secuity for Kiawah Island Resort
Mr. Johnstone pointed out that the most accidents from a hurricane occur afterward, with chainsaws, open gas leaks and improperly plugging in to generators.
- The Resort follows the OP-CON (Operating Conditions) levels for Kiawah Island to find out what they need to be doing. At OP-CON 2, the Resort is locked down, with all guests relocated, and employees are available to assist the Town.
- Mr. Johnstone noted that the Resort has a command post in Orangeburg that provides emergency information if residents can not get through to the Town. The number for the post is 768-2800.
- The Resort has a refrigerated truck that can feed up to 200 people a day, if needed.
- The Resort does not have a reserved fuel supply, though they have a policy to top off all vehicles in the event of an oncoming storm and water is stored in 10 cases in the refrigerated truck.
For more information on the resort, please visit www.kiawahresort.com or call them at 768-2121.
Diana Kline, American Red Cross
Be Red Cross Ready! There are three main steps that everyone should follow in order to be prepared for a hurricane:
1. Get a kit
2. Make a plan
3. Be informed
- Get a kit: Besides listing the usual; water, food, flashlight, first aid kit, etc., Ms. Kline also ran through the items many of us forget and wish we thought of before. The main list is detailed on page 10.
- Make a plan: Make sure you know your area’s risks, that your family is completely aware of the plan and that you have rehearsed your plan to ensure that everyone knows exactly what to do. In times of crisis, things that we have done before are much easier to remember than things that we have only talked about. Most of all, do not wait until the peak of hurricane season, commonly pinpointed as September 10, to make your plan and rehearse it. There’s no time like the present!
- Be informed: Know what may happen and how you can help. Know how the authorities will notify you in case of an evacuation, learn what you can do to prepare and share all your information with your neighbors.
For more information about your local chapter of the Red Cross, call the Carolina Lowcountry Chapter at 764-2323. CPR classes are available. You can also visit their website at lowcountryredcross.org. To purchase pre-made Red Cross first aid kits, call Grace Rivers, customer service rep, at 764-2323 ext. 358.
Martha Harris, Berkeley Electric
Martha Harris, representing Berkeley Electric, discussed the details of dealing with your electricity in case of an evacuation:
- The power to the islands will not be turned off unless it is known that the hurricane will be a direct hit.
- To disconnect your power, first turn off individual breakers, then turn off the main breaker.
- If you wish to keep your freezer on, turn off all breakers except the breaker for the fridge and the main.
- To turn your power back on, turn on the main breaker, then the other breakers, waiting a few seconds between each flip.
- DO NOT plug portable generators in to a meter base, it might explode or hurt an electrician further down the line who believes that all the power is off.
- In case the electricity is shut down, Berkeley Electric will turn on power first to businesses that sell food and supplies, then they will start powering streets and homes.
- When you return to your home check your transformer located under the green pad in your front yard to make sure it has not blown.
For more information, contact Berkeley Electric at 559-2458 or visit their website at www.becsc.com
Shawn Jones, Charleston County Emergency Preparedness Division ( EPD)
The Emergency Preparedness Division ( EPD) provides leadership and assistance to reduce the loss of life and property in Charleston County from a variety of man-made and natural hazards through an effective emergency management program.
- The EPD sets up Charleston County for evacuation, if necessary.
- Created transportation plan, including placing new hurricane bus stop signs in critical areas for people without transportation.
- Created a pets program - Disaster Animal Response Team (DART) - which takes are of shelter animals, rescue animals and emergency members’ pets.
- Helped to create the new warning system on Comcast, which advises viewers to turn to channel 60 for updates on impending storms.
- Advise that residents should only go to shelters as a last resort; shelters are mainly for people that have no way of leaving the state.
- Bridges: all swing bridges are welded shut once a mandatory evacuation is declared. Once winds reach 40 mph, bridges are restricted to SUVs, RVs and buses. Only the Governor of South Carolina is allowed to close high bridges.
- Advises everyone to stay off the islands after an evacuation unless the mayor says that residents are allowed to return.
For more information about the Charleston County EPD, visit their website at www.charlestoncounty.org or call them at 202-7400. For emergencies, call 554-4700. |
