South Carolina was one of only 10 states to be rated by the Homeland Security Department as having sufficient disaster response plans. Louisiana and West Virginia were rated as woefully unprepared, and the rest, according to the Homeland Security scorecard, had only partially sufficient plans.

The scorecard covered planned responses to major disasters, including terror attacks, hurricanes, floods, fires, tornadoes and other far-reaching emergencies. Homeland Security officials rated states on their plans for evacuations, medical care, sheltering of victims, public alerts and other priorities.

Some state officials complained that the federal government was using a one-size-fits-all formula to grade the states when each is likely to face different challenges. For example, while coastal states may face the threat of hurricanes, many western states are more worried about forest fires.

Nonetheless, categories such as evacuation plans, sheltering victims and providing medical assistance no doubt would be relevant in any large-scale disaster. And if the basic plan is in place, states will be better able to cope with the unexpected.

South Carolina has had the dubious good fortune of experiencing a less-than-successful evacuation for a hurricane that never hit the state. While Hurricane Floyd largely missed the state in 2003, it nonetheless had prompted a mandatory evacuation of the Lowcountry. The ensuing exodus created a traffic jam that stretched from Charleston to north of Columbia. Hundreds of motorists spent 15 to 20 hours inching through the interstate highway system. Fortunately, the state learned from that experience, and adopted an evacuation plan that could better channel traffic not only from the Lowcountry but also from other states from which residents might be fleeing a storm.

While South Carolina has received high marks for preparedness, it also has done some fine tuning to its overall plan in recent months. Federal officials said inadequate plans had been made for evacuating nursing homes in the Lowcountry and that some areas of the state may not be linked with the emergency communication system. But knowing that now enables the state to take action before the first big hurricane of the season forms in the Atlantic.

Perhaps the yearly threat of hurricanes and the experience of a direct hit from Hurricane Hugo in 1989 has made South Carolina more cognizant of the risk. And it is no surprise that Florida is another of the states ranked as sufficiently prepared.

If South Carolina were to offer advice to other, less prepared states, it might be something along the lines of: Doing it now is easier than trying to do it after a disaster occurs.

IN SUMMARY
South Carolina is one of 10 states to have a sufficient plan in the event of a disaster.