A lot of info
Governor Nikki Haley of SC told a crowd on Friday that “there will no longer be a voluntary evacuation, which means when we say it is time to go, you go”. The question is, do you know where to go? And do you know what to do?
Enter StormFest 2012, an event for the whole family to learn more about the new evacuation zones and what to do in case of a storm. Emergency officials from Horry and Georgetown Counties were at Inlet Square Mall on Saturday, June 09, 2012 along with meteorologists from the three major networks to answer any questions you may have.
activities for kids
There were plenty of games and educational materials to color for the young ones as well as handouts for the adults ranging from survival guides to insurance facts to emergency numbers. Why all the handouts you may ask? Well as one person from the state said to us – our time is coming. From someone who moved down from the north to escape bad weather, this is last thing we wanted to hear!
When is hurricane season? It has started earlier than normal this year – it began June 1st and is due to last until November 1st. So after picking up numerous pamphlets I wondered over to where the meteorologists were. After all, they know exactly when and if a storm is coming, right? I first walked over to the WMBF Storm Team because they had the biggest line – they were giving out t- shirts and who couldn’t use one.
Jamie Arnold, WMBF
GSH: Jamie (Arnold, meteorologist), what do you think of the event?
JA: The event is great; it is the first time we are doing something so big to get the word out . There is a huge age range. We are giving the older hard core people lessons for when to leave.
Darren Stack, WPDE
Next we walked over to see the WPDE team, who had a comprehensive handout on knowing your evacuation zones.
GSH: Darren (Stack, meteorologist) what do you think about the event?
DS: This is fantastic! So many coming out that want to learn what to do when the times comes to make sure they are safe. It’s about getting the word out.
Getting the word out was what they did very well. So if you couldn’t make it today, do you know what to do?
- Know your zone
- Have a disaster kit ready including food, supplies and any meds including supplies for your pet
- Know where the shelters are and if they take your pet and where to take them if they won’t
- Know evacuation routes; they have changed
Horry County is now using social media, so check them out on emd.horrycounty.org; facebook.com/horrycountyemd;twitter@horrycountyemd
Other websites are:
www.horrycounty.org –official website of Horry County
www.fema.gov/areyouready/ – US Federal Emergency Management Agency
www.scemd.org –SC Emergency Management Department
phone numbers:
Horry County Emergency Management – 843-915-5150
American Red Cross (shelters) – 843-477-0020
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I am very new to this area and if I had to leave I wouldn’t know where to go or how to get out. I see this was held in June. When is the next one and/or will there be a next one?
We don’t have any information of any event in the near future. This was held because the evacuation zones were changed. The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce should have some of the booklets available. Check with them and if they don’t have any, let us know.