“Don’t plan to go home today or tomorrow,” said Governor Haley urging all South Carolinians to say off the roads even as frustration may be setting in.
The impact of the coastal areas overnight have been extreme rain and wind levels. Storm surge from the hurricane has been record high. At the Charleston Battery levels there were the third highest on record.
At the time of the press conference the maximum winds for Hurricane Matthew are down to 75 mph, still a Category 1 hurricane. Governor Haley mentioned there is still a lot going on and it’s still a very serious situation. "All areas are still dangerous and people should remain cautious."
“The main thing is power lines and flooded roads. As soon as places open up we will get that information out to you,” said Governor Haley.
Another threat that has less to do with Hurricane winds and rain is a cybersecurity threat. Someone is sending out emails with a clickable link to presumably show outages. This link, however, gives access of your computer. Haley urged everyone to please be cautious about these suspious emails.
Currently, South Carolina has 78 shelters open serving 6,651 residents. There are 725 staffers that are keeping people safe. There is plenty of room and capacity.
"We have 437,303 power outages. During the last storm we had 350,000, so we have by far surpassed that," said Haley.
For more information about shelter and evacuation information, go to SCEMD.org. Call the Team South Carolina tip line at 1-866-246-0133 if you do not have access to the Internet and need assistance.
