SULLIVAN’S ISLAND, S.C. – Officials on Sullivan’s Island and the Isle of Palms are preparing for potential severe weather impacts.
Sullivan’s Island has been working to improve stormwater by cleaning ditches and drains and making sandbags available. Residents can get sand bags at the fire station, and the sand can be found on Quarter Street.
“We’ll be monitoring the situation as we always do. “Our staff is unfortunately very experienced in dealing with hurricanes,” said Patrick O’Neil, mayor of Sullivan’s Island. “So, we follow the county and state lead, but our usual drill is to begin cleaning out the ditches and gutters, which staff prepares for. Hunkering down if necessary, but hopefully not. We intend to stay on top of it.
Isle of Palms has opened a self-service sandbagging station that will be open 24/7. People can obtain bags from the second floor lobby of the public safety building, while the sand pile is located in the municipal lot. The limit is ten bags per household. IOP Public Works and Police are working together to reduce potential hazards.
“We pre-deployed pumps in flood-prone areas today. “If an event occurs, public works will ensure that those pumps are operational,” said Sgt. Matt Storen, public information officer for IOP police. “Trash cans that along the street and on the beach are being collected from public works right now so those don’t become flying projectiles if a storm event does occur.”
Officials also want to remind residents not to collect sand from any of the beaches for sand bags.
Please do not go to the beach and fill sandbags. If an event occurs, such as a tropical system or a severe high tide, there will be erosion on the beach. The beach needs that sand more than ever. We’ve had severe erosion on our beaches in the last year, so taking sand from the beach to fill sandbags is strictly prohibited,” Storen stated.
Both islands will update their official social media pages to keep residents informed while they monitor the potential storm.
