McMaster says he’ll visit parts of SC coast battered by Hurricane Ian to survey damage

Gov. Henry McMaster says he will visit parts of the South Carolina coast battered by Hurricane Ian to survey storm damage.

The governor intends to hold a second press briefing later Saturday in Georgetown, where Ian made landfall Friday afternoon before heading northwest toward North Carolina and Virginia.

McMaster told reporters Saturday he’ll do a coastal flyover by helicopter to survey damage before meeting with local officials on the ground.

As emergency personnel scale back operations, McMaster said he wants South Carolinians to know “this is not over, that we’re still very much involved.”

John Quagliariello, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service Columbia, said Saturday Ian is the first hurricane to make landfall in South Carolina since Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

Quagliariello reported high winds of 92 mph around the Charleston Harbor, 73 mph at Folly Beach, 68 mph at the Charleston Airport and 58 mph in North Myrtle Beach. Inland areas also reported higher wind speeds, including 44 mph at Shaw Air Force Base and 43 mph in Chester.

All of those strong winds brought down a significant number of trees, even throughout the Midlands, he said.

Meanwhile, storm surge, Quagliariello said, was heaviest around the Georgetown and Horry county coasts.

Rainfall was highest around the coast, with reports of 5.63 inches at the Charleston Airport, 4.38 inches in Georgetown, 4.2 inches in Darlington and 3.55 inches in North Myrtle Beach.

Fortunately, Quagliariello said, no significant river flooding is expected.

Weather should cooperate over the next few days, with high temperatures in the upper 60s and 70s, Quagliariello said.

Thousands in South Carolina, mostly around the coast, still remain without power Saturday morning.

Though McMaster said by Saturday afternoon most electricity had been restored in “record pace.” Nanette Edwards, executive director of the Office of Regulatory Staff, said the number of outages by noon Saturday was just more than 35,000 outages.

Utilities are expected to fully restore power, except for a handful of customers, by sun down, Edwards said.

“I don’t think we’ve seen such organization and speedy service as we saw there,” McMaster said.

Kim Stenson, director of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, said six electric cooperatives reported damage, three counties have infrastructure damage, eight counties have residential damage and five counties have business damage.

The infrastructure damage includes piers in the Grand Stand and a sewer lift station in Horry County.

South Carolina Transportation Secretary Christy Hall said the agency removed about 1,100 downed trees from state roads through Saturday morning. She added debris removal in Pawleys Island and Garden City may take two to four days, which will include clearing sea grass and sand from roads. She said the state fared pretty well considering bridges and roads were not damaged.

There also were no storm-related deaths, no hospitals were damaged and all water systems were and are OK, McMaster said.

McMaster on Saturday thanked first responders, utility linemen and local government officials for their help. He also thanked the more than 5 million South Carolinians who heeded official advice and “used their common sense.”

“There is damage. There is some heartbreak,” McMaster said, noting impacts particularly along the Grand Strand. “But all in all it is another good story for South Carolina and we’re open for business.”