City of Charleston Begins Recovery Efforts, Residents Urged to Exercise Caution

The following is the city of Charleston’s “September 30th Hurricane Ian PM Update”:

The city of Charleston moved to OPCON-2 at 8 p.m. this evening, as city crews continue recovery efforts that began this afternoon.

“While the city was fortunate to avoid a direct hit from Hurricane Ian, the impacts are still significant, with a number of roads closed, residents without power and flooding damage,” Mayor John Tecklenburg said. “We are grateful to our first responders and our residents who stayed at home during the storm, and encourage residents to continue to exercise caution as they make repairs and clean up.”

Reporting damage: To help with the city’s assessments, residents are asked to report damage online at www.charleston-sc.gov/report-damage or by calling the city’s Citizen Services Desk at 843-724-7311.

Citizens are reminded that nearly all storm damage-related repairs require building permits, which also protect property owners by ensuring that work performed is up to code. For additional information on building permit guidelines and requirements, please visit: https://www.charleston-sc.gov/856/Permit-Center

Garbage and trash: Residential garbage will resume on Monday, October 3, and follow a normal schedule. Bulk trash pickup will be suspended for two weeks (Monday, October 3 – Friday, October 14) to focus on yard debris pickup. Bulk trash pickup will resume on Monday, October 17. Commercial garbage collection will resume on Saturday, October 1. Garbage that was not picked up on Johns Island today will be picked up on Monday.

When placing debris at the curb for collection, citizens should sort based on the following (C.H.E.A.T.) categories:

C –      Construction debris (building materials, drywall, lumber, carpet, furniture, etc.)

H –     Hazardous waste (oils, batteries, pesticides, paints, cleaning supplies, etc.)

E –      Electronics (televisions, computers, radios, stereos, DVD players/VCRs, etc.)

A –     Appliances (Refrigerators, washers/dryers, freezers, air conditioners, stoves, etc.)

T –      Trees and vegetation (tree branches, leaves and logs)

City office openings: City offices and facilities remained closed today as crews focus on recovery efforts and will return to normal operations on Monday, October 3.

Parks and Recreation facilities will remain closed Saturday as staff conducts windshield surveys and determines any safety issues before reopening to the public.

The Angel Oak Tree, Old Slave Mart Museum, Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, the City Gallery and Maritime Center will remain closed through the weekend and resume normal operations on Monday.

The Dock Street Theatre will only open this weekend for Saturday’s 7 p.m. MOJA Arts Festival “Evening of Jazz with Momentum and Da’rrell Ravenell.” Doors will open at 5:30 p.m.

Road closures: The Septima Clark Parkway (the Crosstown) remains closed. Charleston Police have set up a detour for motorists.

For motorists coming from West Ashley:

• • Exit the Septima Clark Parkway onto Spring Street
  • Make a left onto Coming Street
  • Follow Coming Street and reenter the Septima Clark Parkway

For motorists traveling south on I-26:

• • Exit at the Rutledge Avenue exit onto Sheppard Street
  • Turn left onto Rutledge Avenue

Charleston Police will reopen roadways as they become safe for motorists to travel. Road closures and reopenings will be updated in real-time here: https://gis.charleston-sc.gov/road-closures-regional/.

Parking garages: The six parking garages that were opened during the storm will revert to ticketed parking spaces on Saturday evening. All cars must be removed from the following garages by 5 p.m., Saturday, October 1:

• • Aquarium Garage – 24 Calhoun Street
  • East Bay/ Prioleau – 25 Prioleau Street

• • Queen Street – 93 Queen Street

• • Visitor Center – 63 Mary Street
  • 99 West Edge – 99 West Edge Street
  • 34 St. Philip Street garage

Cars exiting garages should follow these steps:

• • Vehicles need to be removed by designated time to be eligible for free parking.
  • Pull a ticket upon entering
  • When leaving – Press the black “assistance” button on the upper right-hand side of the call box. An attendant will respond to assist you.
  • State you were parking to avoid the flooding.
  • Provide your name and address when requested.
  • Insert your ticket into the machine (if you have not already done so)
  • Attendant will raise the gate for you to exit

Drainage: The city’s pump stations and temporary pumps are in place to expedite drainage. Stormwater Department crews have begun fanning out across the city this afternoon to begin the formal damage assessment process. Crews will also be out this weekend addressing any remaining flooding or areas that are not draining well, removing any clogs or noting any follow-up work needed from flood damage.

Downed trees: Urban Forestry and Public Service received reports of 44 downed trees, with at least three large trees blocking roadways. Urban Forestry is actively working to clear Meeting Street and then the Septima Clark Parkway. Crews will continue work Saturday and continue until all downed trees are cleared and get parks cleaned.

Street sweeping: Crews began street-sweeping efforts this afternoon, cleaning residual mud off of roadways and sidewalks that flooded, as well as clearing storm drains of debris. Street sweeping efforts will continue through the weekend, and continue on the normal schedule throughout next week.

Traffic signals: As of 8 p.m., 86 traffic signals were reported as inoperable throughout the storm. Signal Recovery crews will continue working throughout the weekend to restore the 26 remaining reported inoperable traffic signals as soon as possible. Citizens are reminded that any intersection with a full signal outage should be treated as a four-way stop.

Charleston Police Department Update: The Charleston Police Department continues to deploy resources throughout the city. The Police Department’s main priority is life safety and protecting citizens and their property as the city recovers from the impacts of Hurricane Ian. Between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. today, the Charleston Police Department responded to 243 calls for service.

Police Department command staff members continue to staff the Municipal Emergency Operations Center as recovery efforts begin to mitigate the effects of the storm. Officers are patrolling all areas but notably those that sustained damage.

Citizens are urged to use caution as they begin to move about the city. Many areas have hidden obstacles and debris that might cause injury to persons or damage to vehicles. Standing water may not be clean or sanitary.

Officers have placed barricades at flooded roadways and many roads remain closed. Motorists are warned not to drive around barricades. The Police Department has deployed high profile vehicles to support patrol in flooded areas. The Police Department is working in partnership with many other city departments as streets are cleared and non-functioning traffic signals are restored.

Charleston Fire Department Update: Charleston Fire Department members continued to respond to emergencies throughout the storm as windspeeds did not meet the threshold to halt services.

Between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. today, the Charleston Fire Department responded to 117 calls for service, including reports of downed power lines, fallen trees into roadways and assisting or removing citizen from water. A few responses included trees that fell on cars and two reports of trees that fell onto a building. One fire involving a large, outdoor transformer was isolated in a commercial district. At this time, no known injuries have been reported and no Fire Department first responders have been injured.

Highwater vehicles responded to multiple calls during the event and will remain in service tomorrow morning. Utility vehicles placed in served were able to quickly remove trees from the roadway to ensure emergency responses could continue.

With the loss of power in the area, residents are urged to avoid downed power lines when outside and to utilize flashlights for alternate lighting and avoid the use of candles when inside. Generators, grills and other cooking appliances must be run outdoors – do not bring them into the house or a garage.

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