For those of you who are headed to Charleston, Hurricane Florence is a big, looming reality. It is that for all of us. Charlestonians are known for our hospitality. But Florence is very much an unwelcome guest in the Lowcountry – or anywhere, for that matter. We have been monitoring the news this past weekend and week. Frankly Florence has consumed our lives in a huge way. It affects us all as well as all of our Isle of Palms vacation rentals. Yesterday, Governor McMaster ordered a mandatory evacuation for all coastal counties in South Carolina. It applies to residents and visitors alike. Our luxury homes are located in Charleston County, which stretches along the SC coast from Edisto Island south of Kiawah all the way north to above McClellanville. Anyone along the coast was urged to leave and head to safer, higher ground. Beginning today at noon, the Governor ordered all lanes of I-26 East reversed to allow people to leave the coast more rapidly. I-26 lane reversals have been done successfully in the past and help expedite moving traffic away from areas in the storm's path - in this case, Florence. Evacuation orders will last until further notice. Schools, post offices, governmental offices and even area WalMarts are closed. Earlier today, he lifted the mandatory evacuation order for the three SC counties to the south of us – Beaufort, Colleton and Jasper, with the exception of Edisto Beach. For much of the day, it looked like Charleston was going to escape the brunt of Florence, with most of the models showing it coming ashore in North Carolina. However, the European Euro model this afternoon showed a concerning path that travels down the SC coastline. We certainly hope and pray this is not the accurate path. There is no doubt that staying in a Charleston beach house is one of the best ways to experience the Lowcountry. But it’s always wise to keep a weather eye out for the “h” word.
Hurricane hunters hoping to help re: Florence
A few years back, NOAA and NASA were able to conduct the most advanced technological study of hurricanes in history. They flew unmanned aircraft into storms around the globe in an effort to better understand, and thus predict, those in the future. The “Global Hawk” flew at very high altitudes (in fact, above the hurricanes). The smaller “Coyote” collected data within the storms themselves. All this hurricane chasing adds to the knowledge base to hopefully help us all stay safe from such destructive events. So stay safe, and say a prayer for our beloved Lowcountry and the people in the path of this storm. And when you are looking to book a great vacation home, call EP. Hopefully the weather will cooperate. All best, Lowcountry Lisa your Isle of Palms vacation blogger