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Sanford: Take storm readiness into your own hands

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BEAUFORT -- With a hurricane season beginning Thursday that's predicted to be worse than most but not as bad as 2005, Gov. Mark Sanford and state emergency officials visited Beaufort on Friday to tell residents to make their own plans in case of a hurricane.

Earlier this week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted 13 to 16 named storms in the season that runs from June 1 to Nov. 30. Eight to 10 of those storms are expected to become hurricanes, of which four to six could be major hurricanes with winds greater than 110 miles per hour.

Sanford said studies have found residents woefully unprepared for the season, with three-fifths having no hurricane plan and two-thirds without a hurricane kit.

Hurricane planning includes having food and water necessary along with battery-powered radios and flashlights. Homeowners also should discuss their insurance policies with an agent to go over procedures for filing a claim.

Included in the governor's budget recommendations were 40 satellite telephones to keep agencies connected if traditional communication lines fail in a storm and money for a warehouse to store enough water and emergency meals to feed 50,000 people for three days.

With some of the lowest elevations in the state, Beaufort is the only county that would have to fully evacuate in a Category 4 storm, when winds are greater than 130 miles per hour. American Red Cross shelters in Beaufort County are closed for all storms stronger than Category 1, when winds are up to 95 mph.

Because evacuation announcements likely wouldn't impact Beaufort alone, residents should consider early evacuation to reduce congestion when mandatory evacuations are announced.

"It's absolutely imperative that people leave early," Sanford said.

The state is trying to work with oil companies to grow refueling capacity at stations along the evacuation route, noting many areas are rural with few gas stations.