Governor plans to order evacuation ahead of Hurricane Irma starting Saturday morning in Myrtle Beach area, coastal SC
Gov. Henry McMaster said Thursday that he likely will issue an evacuation order for coastal South Carolina including the Myrtle Beach area starting Saturday morning as the powerful Hurricane Irma continues heading toward the state. During a news conference Thursday afternoon, McMaster and other state officials urged residents and vacationers to make plans and be prepared for Hurricane Irma, which is expected to bring rain, wind and potential storm surge to coastal South Carolina on Monday and Tuesday. The intensity of the storm’s effects here still is uncertain because it depends on the path the storm ends up taking. McMaster said he is 99 percent sure that he will issue the evacuation order to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday and has another news conference planned for Friday, when he will give the latest on the evacuation plan. “As soon as he does [issue the evacuation order], we will get the word out to everybody,” said Lance Thompson, General Manager and Vice President o...