News Release #3, Tropical Storm Isaias
The Town and the City of Charleston will be issuing sandbags beginning tomorrow, Monday August 3rd at 8 am to 4 pm. The Town will have a distribution site here at Town Hall and the entrance will be at 1122 Dills Bluff Rd. and exit onto Camp Rd. Residents will not be allowed to line up prior to 8 am. Residents with sandbags saved from prior storm events are encouraged to use those. Expect longer delays for sandbag operations due to safety precautions needed for COVID-19. To prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus and to protect our residents, volunteers and staff, the Town of James Island is instituting the following measures for sandbag operations:
- All persons participating in sandbag operations shall wear a face covering. This includes people getting sandbags, volunteers helping with operations and Town Staff.
- All persons handling supplies, equipment and any items that come in contact with the public shall wear gloves.
- Persons actively filling sandbags at a sand pile shall social distance and shall be limited to 8 persons at one time.
- All persons waiting to fill sandbags shall be in a specified line with at least 6 feet of social distance between persons not related or in the same household.
- Persons wishing to fill sandbags should bring their own shovels. Any Town provided shovels shall be disinfected between uses.
- Each household shall be limited to 10 sandbags each.
Tropical Storm Isaias is expected to track north near the FL east coast today/tonight, along the GA/SC coasts Mon and over or close to Charleston County Mon night. Expect most impacts along and east of I-95, with greatest impacts near the coast, particularly across the Charleston Tri-County region and across adjacent Atlantic coastal waters. The overall confidence has increased regarding hazardous impacts from Isaias, with the greatest impacts anticipated Monday afternoon into Monday night.
There is a tropical storm warning, storm surge watch, and flash flood watch thru Monday evening for James Island. Below are the majority of impacts we can expect to see:
- Flooding Rainfall: Excessive rainfall, 3 to 6 inches with possibly greater localized amounts and flash flooding is possible. Of particular concern is a combination of heavy rain and storm surge inundation could flood numerous roads and some structures in Downtown Charleston Monday evening.
- Coastal Flooding: Dangerous storm surge inundation of up to 2 to 4 feet above ground level is possible, especially around the Monday evening high tide.
- Winds: Tropical storm force winds/gust are expected Monday into the night, especially near the coast. Strongest wind gusts may reach 70 mph along the Charleston County coast with the arrival of heavy rain bands Monday night. These winds could produce minor structural damage, knock down trees and produce some power outages.
- Rip Currents: High risk along the coast though Monday night.
- High Surf & Beach erosion: Moderate to major beach erosion possible along the entire coast Monday night.
- Tornados: Isolated tornados possible Monday night, mainly across the Charleston Tri-County area.
Charleston County recycling will be pushed back one day, and the James Island Public Service District will be operating on a holiday schedule, picking up Monday's route on Tuesday. One of the most important things to remember during and after a storm is the need to separate yard debris. It's critically important to separate yard debris from household debris and will make the clean-up of our island go much more smoothly. Remember – this is NOT the time to clean out your garage!
Additional Considerations:
- Citizens should avoid unnecessary travel due to possible localized flooding caused by potential heavy rainfall.
- Please remove any items around your home that could cause damage due to the potential for strong wind gusts.
- Please follow directions on traffic and message boards for road closure information and remind the public, "Turn around, Don't drown."
- In the event of possible flooding, citizens are asked not to drive around barricades or drive through standing water.
- Emergency calls to 911 should be reserved to save a life, report a crime or report a fire.
- DO NOT call 9-1-1 if you have water in your home unless your life is in danger.
- DO NOT call 9-1-1 to report that your power is out, report the outage to your utility provider.
Always have these important phone numbers and links available throughout the storm season:
Dominion Energy Customer Service: 1-800-251-7234
Down/Sparking Lines: 1-888-333-4465
Gas Leaks: 1-800-815-0083
Power Outage: 1-888-333-4465
Non-emergency Public Safety concerns (Downed Trees) Consolidated Dispatch – (843) 743-7200
Outage Map: https://www.sceg.com/outages-emergencies/power-outages/outage-map(opens in a new tab)
Social media – twitter - @domenergysc
Here are other important links with helpful information before, during and after an event:
South Carolina Emergency Management Division: http://www.scemd.org(opens in a new tab)/
FEMA: https://www.fema.gov/(opens in a new tab)
National Weather Service Charleston Office: http://www.weather.gov/chs/(opens in a new tab)
Pet Friendly Hotels: http://www.pet-friendly-hotels.net/(opens in a new tab)
Current Charleston County Hurricane Information: https://www.charlestoncounty.org/departments/emergency-management/index.php(opens in a new tab)
Definition of OPCON levels: http://www.charlestoncounty.org/departments/emergency-management/opcon.php(opens in a new tab)
Download the Charleston County EMD App for the latest updates by searching CC EMD in your carrier's app store.
For updates, visit the Charleston County website or follow us on our social media platforms:
Visit website: www.charlestoncounty.org(opens in a new tab)
• Emergency Management Department: https://www.facebook.com/EMDChasCo/(opens in a new tab)
The Town will continue to publish news releases and share relevant information from other agencies, so please make sure your contact information is up-to-date to receive our news releases through email, and always make sure to monitor the Town's social media sites. If you don't receive Town News releases by email, sign up by sending an email to info@jamesislandsc.us
Every resident should sign-up for the Charleston County Citizen Alert Notification System powered by EVERBRIDGE. This system allows you to be alerted any of the following ways: home phone, mobile phone, text message, email or by fax. Mass notification keeps everyone informed before, during and after any emergency event. https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611698/login(opens in a new tab)