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Lakelands
could see lots of rain from Hurricane Ivan
September
16, 2004
From
staff reports
Hurricane
Ivan is expected to lose strength by the time it hits the
Carolinas. Still, the stormy one-two punch of Frances and Ivan
could create significant problems in Greenwood and the
Lakelands this weekend. “We’re already a little saturated,”
said Bob Smith, director of Greenwood County Emergency
Preparedness. Just a week ago, remnants of Hurricane Frances
deposited rain on the region, and the ground has not had time
to dry out, he said.
“Our water-table levels are still very
high,” said Scott Krentz, a meteorologist for the National
Weather Service. “The rivers are elevated a lot more than when
Frances hit — it’s not going to take as much rain this time to
cause flooding.”
“(Ivan)’s farther west than (Hurricane
Frances), but since we’re east of it, we’ll get the rain and
wind typically found on that side of the hurricane,” said
Henry Deason, county emergency services director for McCormick
County. “We’re only expecting to get 2 to 4 inches of rain and
some wind – maybe a rare tornado.”
The Gold Rush Days
Festival – an annual event in McCormick – is scheduled to go
on as planned Saturday with a car show and parade, gold
panning, Dorn House tours, pageant and other activities
scheduled throughout the day.
Light rains will begin this
evening and last until morning, Krentz said. Winds will begin
to pickup strength on Friday.
“By Friday afternoon, the
rain is going to become heavier,” Krentz said. “There are
going to be really strong bands of heavy rains, and the wind
is going to pick up in the afternoon. There will be periods of
zero visibility if you’re driving.”
Weather conditions will
be comparable to the rainfall experienced when Frances
struck.
“We’ll get the same amount of rain, if not more,”
Krentz said. “The winds are going to be stronger, and it’s
going to last a little bit longer, which is bad — it
means the risk of flooding is going to increase.”
Smith
said the county is watching the usual trouble spots for
flooding, which include the underpass on S.C. 72 near
Haltwanger Road, and a trailer park on S.C. 34.
Low-lying
city streets are also likely locations for flooding, he
said.
“They have the potential of shutting down traffic
flow,” Smith said. “If we have streets that begin to shut
down, that’s going to present a problem with getting people to
the hospital, and getting police to them.” High winds combined
with wet grounds could also combine to topple more trees
during the storm. “A lot of people are going to be without
power this weekend,” Krentz said.
Abbeville Emergency
Management Director Steve McDade recommends that residents
prepare an emergency kit including spare batteries,
nonperishable food and a flashlight. He also reminds residents
to place a manual can opener in the kit.
In the event of
tornadic winds, McDade advises clearing yards of debris or any
object that can be hurled through the air.
Saluda County
Emergency Preparedness Agency Director Frank Wood said his
office hasn’t made any special preparations for Hurricane
Ivan, yet.
“We are just monitoring Ivan, and we are hoping
for the best,” he said. “We aren’t planning on opening any
reserve shelters, but everything is just preliminary.”
Wood
doesn’t foresee any major flooding problems in the county, but
he advises residents living in low-lying areas to be on alert.
“We have a lot of rural areas and farmland in the county,”
he said, “and we are trying to put the word out for residents
to move their livestock to higher ground.”
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