Much of Guard equipment overseas
BY CLAY BARBOUR
Of The Post and Courier Staff
COLUMBIA--As Hurricane Alex, the first major storm of the season, roared benignly out into the ocean Tuesday, Gov. Mark Sanford and his brain trust gathered to discuss the state of storm readiness.
The upshot: The war in Iraq may hamper hurricane recovery in South Carolina this season.
Not quite as expected, though. While some have worried National Guard forces may be too depleted, there are still plenty of troops available for emergencies. The problem could be that much of the Guard's equipment is overseas.
Essential items for hurricane recovery, such as generators, water purifiers, bulldozers and helicopters, will still be far away should a more ambitious storm than Alex head our way. The Guard retains 26 of 80 generators, eight of 67 bulldozers and four of 16 water purifiers. Col. Dale Ellenburg said the Guard's eight helicopters all are scheduled for deployment. He plans to hustle up a couple more from Guard units in other states.
S.C. Emergency Management Director Ron Osborne said the state would have to lease other equipment to handle a big storm. Unfortunately, South Carolina would be standing in line with other states for those machines.
"Not having them now could cost us about 24 hours," Osborne said. "But we should be OK. We'll get them. The key will be making that decision early in the process."
The troop numbers looked better. About 2,800 National Guard troops are deployed in Iraq, which officials said would not be a problem. The guard still has some 3,800 troops available for emergencies, twice the number typically needed for the first wave of a major disaster.
The rest of the state agencies seemed to be in good shape. Officials with the Department of Transportation and Department of Public Service said law enforcement is ready if a major lane reversal is needed during an evacuation.
DPS led a group of agencies in a successful lane reversal practice run in June. Every year since 2000, DPS has performed similar exercises, hoping to avoid a repeat of the 1999 gridlock during the Hurricane Floyd evacuation.
After the meeting, Sanford said, "I think it's a good plan, but it's not perfect. No plan is. Murphy's Law always applies."
He added, "One thing I want South Carolinians to be aware of is that they should take personal responsibility for their welfare and not rely on government."
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