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Protected and Prepared for Hurricane Season
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Written by Heather Hoefer
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Thursday, 31 May 2007 |
County and local officials, plus the American
Red Cross Palmetto Chapter, help prepare for hurricane
season.
With hurricane season beginning this month and running
until November 30, local officials are urging Beaufort County residents to be
prepared for a major storm and to listen to authorities when a storm
strikes.
“We are really blessed that we are tucked into that little
curve into the coast, where Florida is sticking out,” said Jay Harter, Town of
Hilton Head Island emergency management coordinator. “That’s not to say we won’t
get hit.”
Many local officials said it’s not a matter of if a
hurricane hits the Lowcountry but when it hits. That’s why county and local
emergency management teams plan for the worst-case scenario.
“All it
takes is one,” said Harter. “If one hits us, that’s it.”
DURING A HURRICANE
In the event of a
hurricane, local government officials team with the Palmetto Chapter of the Red
Cross to evacuate people, to provide temporary shelter and to help with local
recovery efforts.
William Winn, director of emergency management for
the county, said he can get anyone out of the county during an evacuation, but
it’s up to the individual to prepare.
“First of all, fill up your gas
tank before you leave,” Winn said. “When the media says it may hit the East
Coast, that’s the time to fill up your gas tank. There will be people out there
to help you. If you are elderly or have small kids, leave early, during the
voluntary phase. You won’t have traffic problems. You can get out of town the
way you want. If you wait during the mandatory phase, you have to go the way we
want.”
Before the storm, call the State of South Carolina’s toll-free
public information phone system at 866-246-0133, which disseminates evacuation
and shelter information to everyone during a hurricane. The Town of Hilton Head
Island Fire & Rescue Division will provide transportation for those in need.
Call 341-4600 to request assistance.
The Beaufort County Hurricane
Reentry Hotline is 800-963-5023. When a storm is approaching, listen to radio
stations WGCO 98.3 FM, WYKZ 98.7 FM, WWVV 106.9 FM or watch WJWJ TV for other
emergency information.
County and town officials often meet in the
Town of Hilton Head Island’s three-year-old multi-million dollar emergency
operations center. The facility houses a state-of-the-art 911 dispatch center
with flat screens connected to traffic cameras on major parts of U.S. 278 on
Hilton Head and in Bluffton. There are four locked doors just to get into the
dispatch center.
AFTER A
HURRICANE
Winn said there are three important steps that should be
taken during a hurricane.
“First, get out of the way,” he said. “Two,
have a good insurance plan. If you do those two things, you’ll be on a better
road to recovery. Finally, patience. Things are not going to happen fast. It’s
not going to happen in the timeframe you want it to occur. It’s a slow
process.”
Of all the planning and preparation involved with hurricane
evacuations, it’s the recovery process that officials are worried about.
Beaufort County is working on a plan to rebuild after a natural disaster. but
county and town officials can’t help people rebuild their lives if they don’t
make adequate plans of their own.
“The biggest problem that William
Winn and I preach big time is the most important part,” Harter said. “Insurance.
Have the correct coverage and the amount of coverage. I recommend people go out
and sit down with an insurance agent to go through the policy.”
Governor Mark Sanford and Department of Insurance Director Scott Richardson
are working on coastal insurance legislation that aims at impacting rates and
availability. It is being deliberated in a House subcommittee.
According to a press release, the legislation would create a number of tax
incentives that directly impact the cost to homeowners, ranging from disaster
mitigation to incentives for carrying higher-deductible insurance plans.
It could also require that private insurers give premium discounts to
homeowners who have made their structures more storm resistant. Additionally,
under the proposed legislation, insurers would be required to give more notice
regarding cancellation of policies.
Harter said many people don’t realize
their homeowner’s insurance policy doesn’t include flood insurance, which
requires a 30-day waiting period from the time a flood insurance policy is
purchased to when it actually goes into effect.According to the National Flood
Insurance Program, flood insurance premiums might be as low as $112 a year with
the average premium for a flood policy about $465 a year.
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