Hurricane Ian gains speeds and shifts further north, closer to Myrtle Beach

Hurricane Ian has picked up speed Thursday night and shifted north. At 11 p.m. Hurricane Ian track was shifted up the coast just slightly and is still expected to make landfall as a Hurricane.

The only change from the 5 p.m.advisory was that the surge values from Murrells Inlet northward to Little River were adjusted from 3 to 5 feet to 4 to 7 feet.

Surfside Beach declares state of emergency

UPDATED 4 P.M.: Surfside Beach Mayor Bob Hellyer has declared a state of emergency.

The declared state of emergency directs the town to activate and implement its emergency operations plan, and take all reasonable actions and precautions necessary to ensure the fullest possible protection and preservation of life and property.

The town would like to remind all of our residents to prepare for this storm, according to a news release.

• Secure all yard items, decorations and debris.

• Stay indoors for the duration of the storm, unless travel is absolutely necessary.

• Continue to monitor trusted weather resources, such as local media or the National Hurricane Center.

Coastal Carolina Saturday game postpones kick-off time Saturday

UPDATED 3:25 P.M.: Coastal Carolina football fans can rest easy — Saturday’s home game against the Georgia Southern Eagles will still happen but will be a bit later than expected.

The university announced Thursday that the universities and the Sun Belt Conference have agreed to postpone Saturday’s kick-off time until 7 p.m.

The reason for postponing the kick-off time was “in the interest of caution and safety regarding team travel,” the press release stated.

‘This isn’t a cakewalk,’ Horry County residents should stay off the roads on Friday

UPDATED 2:14 P.M.: Randy Webster, the assistant county administrator for public safety, warned that roads on the other side of barricades could be dangerous for people willing to take the risk.

He said Horry County will not be providing sandbags or any other resources to residents to combat flooding.

But he encouraged anyone who may get stuck in any bad weather conditions to call 911, if possible.

Webster also indicated the county’s emergency operating center will be open with about 40 to 50 people instead of the usual 80 to 100 people since people won’t be evacuating.

“This isn’t a cakewalk,” he said. “It’s a dangerous situation. We need folks to understand: don’t drive around barricades, and don’t be out if you don’t need to be.”

Waffle Houses in Myrtle Beach are currently open

UPDATED 2:06 P.M.: With Ian downgraded to a tropical storm, Myrtle Beach-area Waffle Houses are running normally.

A Sun News reporter called six of them — none were planning to adjust their operations over the next several days. “Our employees live and work in those areas. They need to continue to be able to learn a living to help their families,” Boss said. “Bills don’t stop just because a weather event has occurred, so we have a commitment to be there for them.”

Inside a busy Conway location on Sept. 29, employees took orders and chatted with regulars and winds kicked up and rustled hedges in front.

Tropical Storm Ian Ian expected to make landfall in South Carolina

UPDATED 12:07 P.M.: The National Hurricane Center recently issued a hurricane warning for portions of the South Carolina coast. Forecasters now believe Ian, which is currently a tropical storm, will make landfall somewhere near Charleston as a Category One hurricane, according to a news release from the governor’s office.

“Everyone should finalize their storm preparations today and continue to check the frequently changing forecasts from the Hurricane Center and local weather outlets,” the release said.

Residents in low-lying areas prone to flooding, particularly along the coast, should have a plan to move to higher ground if their homes become unsafe.

“While we will not see the full force of Hurricane Ian the way Florida did, we could see high winds, rain, flash flooding and even tornadoes,” S.C. Emergency Management Director Kim Stenson said, in the release. “Flooding due to storm surge and rain could be a major concern. Over the next day, it will be vital for everyone to be prepared to act if told to do so by your local public safety officials.”

Local agencies are opening emergency shelters based on need and storm conditions. Shelter locations, when open, will be posted on the South Carolina Emergency Management Division’s website and mobile app.

Contractors secure Surfside Beach pier construction site

UPDATED 11:21 A.M.: Contractors with Consensus Construction spent Thursday morning securing the town’s pier construction site, according to a news release.

With Hurricane Ian now headed towards South Carolina, contractors working on the town’s new pier have pulled some items off the construction trestle and secured other equipment and loose materials on site.

See photos from the pier.

Conway City Council declares localized state of emergency

UPDATES 11 A.M.: Conway City Council passed an ordinance Thursday, Sept. 29, declaring a localized state of emergency effective immediately. This declaration allows appropriate actions by city officials to address emergencies affecting life, health, safety or the people’s property.

Ian downgraded to a tropical storm as it heads north to SC. A storm surge warning in effect.

UPDATED 9:24 A.M.: Tropical Cyclone Ian is expected to continue moving towards the Carolinas, and the Myrtle Beach area will start experiencing wind gusts Thursday night, according to the National Weather Service.

A tropical storm warning and and storm surge watch is also in effect for Horry County until further notice, meteorologists predict in Wilmington, North Carolina.

The storm is about 410 miles south-southwest of Myrtle Beach and has winds of 65 miles per hour. It is moving north-northeast at 8 mph, according to NWS.

Horry County business closings and event cancellations due to Hurricane Ian

Horry County Schools will be closed Friday due to the severe weather expected from Ian

These are the most flood-prone areas in Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Horry County.

UPDATED 9 A.M.: Hurricane Ian may drop up to six inches of rain around the Myrtle Beach area over the weekend, likely triggering coastal flooding in low lying areas of Horry County.

While the region’s rivers are well below capacity and shouldn’t pose much of a threat, the Grand Strand’s 60 miles of coastline can create issues of their own as storm patterns change with ocean conditions. Inland parts of the county are historically flood-prone as well given their proximity to wetlands and rivers.

Here’s a rundown of where flooding will most likely occur over the next several days.

North Myrtle Beach moves to OPCON 2. Here’s what that means?

The City of North Myrtle Beach moved to OPCON 2 at 9 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 29.

There are three OPCON levels from the South Carolina Emergency Management Division:

• OPCON 1 (Full Alert, a Disaster is Occurring or Imminent)

• OPCON 2 (Enhanced Awareness that a disaster or emergency is likely to occur)

• OPCON 3 (Normal Daily Operations)

The latest forecast from the National Hurricane Center shows Ian tracking over the Atlantic and making a second landfall along the Southern SC coast Friday as a tropical storm.

“Storm surge and tropical flooding in North Myrtle Beach is expected and the threat has been increased,” according to a news release. “Flash flooding and coastal flooding should be expected along with sustained winds of 30 mph, and wind gusts of 50+ mph. Hazardous beach conditions are expected through Saturday and possibly later. High tides will increase the impact of coastal flooding and erosion. The highest levels will begin on Friday and last through at least Saturday.”

The heaviest flooding rains are expected Friday and Friday night; however, conditions could change for the worse.

The City of North Myrtle Beach will move to OPCON 1 Friday at 9 a.m.

Here are some helpful links for Hurricane information

South Carolina Emergency Management Division:

https://scemd.org/

National Hurricane Center:

National Hurricane Center (noaa.gov)

Here’s where you can buy ethanol-free gas in Myrtle Beach

Horry County has declared a state of emergency because of Hurricane Ian and locals with generators may be in search of ethanol-free gasoline for their generators in case the storm knocks out power.

Pure-gas.org shows that nine stations in Myrtle Beach sell ethanol-free gas. Here are their addresses:

Take a look at construction of the new Surfside Beach Pier

Swimmers watch as new pilings are driven for the Surfside Beach Pier. Construction of a new $20 million dollar Surfside Beach Pier is ongoing after multiple delays and is now expected to re-open by the Spring of 2023.

The former pier was sheared in half by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The new construction includes space for four merchants in three buildings with a pavilion near the end of the pier.

Can Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach and Horry County beaches handle potential erosion from a hurricane?

A primary protector of that infrastructure is the sand dunes that federal, state and local officials have prioritized reinforcing after major storms through a process called beach renourishment.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers most recently completed a major renourishment along the Grand Strand in 2019, building up the dunes across about 26 miles of beaches in cities including Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Surfside Beach and Garden City Beach. That $45 million project added 3 million cubic yards of sand — equivalent to about 300,000 dump trucks, according to Wes Wilson, the Corps’ project manager.

That entire project was federally funded through emergency response due to impacts from hurricanes Matthew, Irma and Florence, he added.