Good morning Island residents,

As the Island awaits the arrival and/or passing of Hurricane Ian, I wanted to take the opportunity to reassure everyone that the Town is prepared for the situation and standing by at the ready to respond to your needs in the event of an emergency.  Additional Police and Fire personnel are on duty throughout the duration of this event. Once the weather clears, crews will be out to assure that roads are open and passable.  The worst weather in the form of high tropical storm wind force/weak hurricane wind force, heavy rain and storm surge are expected between 10am and 6pm today.   FOR THE DURATION OF THIS STORM EVENT YOU SHOULD SHELTER IN PLACE.

National Hurricane Center at 8am today reports

• Hurricane Ian is located at 31.4N/79.1W or 112 miles SSE of Sullivan’s Island moving N at 5 degrees and 9mph
• The storm has maximum sustained winds of 85mph with central pressure of 984mb
• Sullivan’s Island is currently under a storm surge and hurricane warning. A storm surge warning means there is a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland from the coastline. A hurricane warning means that hurricane conditions are expected within the warning area. Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.
• Storm surge for this area is expected to be 4 to 7 feet
• Rainfall is expected to be 4 to 8 inches
• Several models are showing confidence in landfall further north of Charleston which reduces somewhat storm effect felt on the Island

Reminder of important information

• For an emergency always dial 9-1-1
• For Police, Fire or Water and Sewer non-emergency contact Charleston County Consolidated Dispatch at 843-743-7200
• Never approach a downed power line as it or the ground around it can be energized
• For power outages contact Dominion Energy 1-888-333-4465
• Do not enter the ocean at this time; it is very likely that an emergency response may not be possible
• No interruption of water or sewer service is expected
• Power loss may be expected
• In addition to possible flooding from storm surge, flooding in low lying areas will be exacerbated by 4 to 8 inches  of rainwater. Many streets such as Osceola, Station 18, Station 18.5, Raven, Ion/Sta 26-27, Station 28.5 and Marshall/28.5 and 29 are currently holding water. Avoid or use caution if driving through these areas
• Remaining high tides for the storm event: Fri 9-30-221:40am (6.0 ft); Fri 9-30-22 11:50 pm (5.0 ft); and, Sat 10-1-22:38pm (5.9 ft)
• As the weather subsides Town staff will be clearing roads

Reverting with details as the storm continues to approach.

Please respond directly to abenke@sullivansisland.sc.gov with any questions.

Regards,

Andy Benke
Town Administrator
Town of Sullivan's Island