Charleston County emergency managers lay out hurricane readiness, evacuation and shelter plan

Ben Webster, deputy director of emergency management for Charleston County, told the Charleston City Public Safety Committee on July 7 that the county maintains a graded, "ready, set, go" approach to storms and begins monitoring Atlantic disturbances more than a week before possible impacts. Webster said officials use National Weather Service guidance, the National Hurricane Center tools (HERVAP), local modeling and debris projections to shape public guidance and operations.

"How many storms does it take to make a lifelong impact to Charleston County? And that answer is 1," Webster said, underscoring why the county plans to scale for a reasonable worst‑case and then pare back if needed. He said public messaging is posted on the county dashboard (charlestoncounty.org/en) with sandbagging locations, shelters and post‑storm distribution points.

Webster described how the county coordinates with municipal emergency management offices, voluntary organizations active in disasters (VOADs) and neighboring counties to share situational awareness and resource requests. He said the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) opens under unified command (sheriff's office, fire, EMS, public works and emergency management) and the county emphasizes assigning command‑level representatives who can make decisions for their agencies.

On sheltering and evacuation thresholds, Webster said the county expects to shelter evacuees within Charleston County for storms at or below a Category 3. For higher‑category storms, the county's plan uses CARTA and school‑bus providers to move residents to a Coliseum transfer point where people get onto charter buses for relocation to Orangeburg County shelters. "There are two missions that buses could fill in Charleston County," Webster said, describing local pickup points served by CARTA and 1st Student and the transfer to Orangeburg when in‑county sheltering is not feasible.

Councilman Jim McBride raised concerns about Sea Islands evacuation routes, noting rapid population growth, narrow two‑lane roads and limited bridge egress (he named Limehouse Bridge as a critical exit). Webster said two core messages for Sea Islands residents are to leave early if they need more time and to use designated evacuation routes (for example, Main Road to U.S. 17), so traffic does not congest choke points. Mayor Cogswell added that evacuation orders should be heeded "well before any high winds" so residents are not placing responders at risk.

Webster also discussed operational details that city staff should check now: Palmetto EOC logins, liaison rosters and internal plans. He noted debris contracting is countywide but requires city opt‑in for the City of Charleston to use the county's border‑to‑border contract; the city maintains its own contract and will consider renewal at an upcoming council meeting.

Chief Gelaszta reiterated the need to leave early, warning that delayed departures create congestion and can prevent first responders from operating. Webster and other officials said prepositioned teams, urban forestry crews and, when authorized, National Guard or state resources would be used to clear critical evacuation routes.

The committee's next steps: staff follow‑up and public outreach. Committee members asked for additional written details about the bus/Coliseum transfer plan, staffing contingencies and how return logistics to local stops or long‑term housing would be handled after the storm.