Hanna: 2:30 Press Conference Information

Ready for your update from the 2:30 mayors presser conference? Well, here we go.

Yesterday’s message was about being prepared. Today is a story of remaining vigilant and not becoming complacent. We will not take a direct hit from Hanna, but heavy rain and wind could get nasty and possibly dangerous.

Mayor Joe Riley talked about the threat of Ike; saying the preps you make this week for Hanna could save time next week if we face Ike.

In North Charleston, trash pick up will happen tomorrow morning to lessen the chance of items becoming projectiles in high wind.

Folly Beach’s mayor Carl Beckmann had a message of caution for his citizens. He said he was worried about the storm surge, if even minimal. He reminds that there is a causeway connecting Folly Beach to the mainland and two to three feet of water can make last minute evacuations extremely difficult.

Dan Davis with Berkeley County stopped by for the press conference. He says their EOC is on OPCON 3 and expect to remain there.

There is another press conference scheduled for 6:30. We are expecting to find out more answers about the possibility of a voluntary evacuation in Charleston County.

Here’s a little factoid for you… Charleston County is the longest county on the Atlantic Coast.

Hanna: EOC Morning Update

We’ve spent the last hour or so setting up for a long day of press conferences and live shots. While our photographer, Sydney, finishes setting things up and testing audio, I’ll give you an update on some storm information.

It’s going to be a busy day and here’s what you can expect.

The Charleston County Emergency Operations Center has moved to EPCON 2 this morning. The staff here is at maximum preparedness level. There will be a 12:30 press conference and we will know more about the plan for the Lowcountry then. I’ll update the blog after that meeting.

Governor Mark Sanford is also holding a live press conference at Noon where he will announce a voluntary evacuation for the northern parts of the state.

The mayors of Charleston County will hold a 2:30 press conference today also. This is when we will most likely find out if there is a voluntary evacuation for the Lowcountry. Isle of Palms mayor, Mike Sotille, is the one I’m most interested in hearing from. He hinted at a voluntary evac for the barrier islands yesterday.

More in about an hour.

Hurricane Hanna Preps

We’ve been super busy this morning planning for Hurricane Hanna coverage. We usually have a week to plan for a Hurricane’s landfall, but Hanna will be upon us before we know it.

As you can see by that picture, the Weather Center is a constant den of activity. They are the heart of the operation right now. Joey and Rob are working hard to get all the latest information.

I’m about to head out with our engineers to check our live equipment at the Charleston County Emergency Operations Center. That’s where I will be stationed for Hurricane Hanna – it’s information central.

EOC will hold a press conference at 2:00 and we will carry it live on Channel 2. They will have all the latest on everything Hanna related and how they are handling things here in the Lowcountry.

The Red Cross is holding a conference call right now with their home office about shelters. I am meeting with our local Red Cross’ executive director at 12:30.

I’ll have more a little later when I get back to the station.