Tropical Storm Michael

Friday, October 12th – Update From The Daniel Island POA

All DI Community pools will reopen at 11:00 am today, Friday, October 12th, (Pierce Park, Scott Park, Edgefield). If you partake in any of the programming at the pools, please contact your program director/coach for practice schedules. Beresford Creek and Ralston Creek Boat Landings are operational as well. We appreciate your patience as we ensure the safety and cleanliness of our pools.

Thursday, October 11th at 12:30 PM – City of Charleston Hurricane Michael Update

• As weather conditions return to normal, the city of Charleston has closed the Municipal Emergency Operations Center and returned to OPCON 5. The Public Safety Operations Center remains open. Emergency crews are standing by to respond to calls as necessary.
• City offices and recreation programs and facilities will open as normal tomorrow, Friday, October 12.
• Traffic and transportation officials are out repairing traffic lights. Citizens who observe a traffic light that is out or flashing should report it to the City of Charleston Citizen Services Desk at 843-724-7311.
• Public service crews are out performing emergency management duties including inspecting and clearing outfalls and ditches to ensure water is moving freely.
• Street sweeping crews are beginning to clear the streets of debris today and will continue sweeping tomorrow. Crews will also be out this afternoon to collect storm debris throughout West Ashley, James Island and the peninsula.
• Regular garbage and trash collection will resume tomorrow on a one-day delay, with Thursday routes collected tomorrow and Friday routes on Saturday.
• At this time, six trees have been reported down in the city. Parks department crews have cleared four and are working to clear the other two. All of the city’s waterfront facilities have been inspected, with no major damage reported. Crews continue to inspect all city parks and are clearing small debris, as necessary.
• Citizens who parked their cars in one of the three garages opened for free through the storm are reminded to remove their vehicle by 8 a.m. Friday.
• Citizens with questions should call the Citizen Services Desk at 843-724-7311.

Wednesday, October 10th at 4:25 PM – City of Charleston Hurricane Michael Update

• The city of Charleston moved to OPCON 3 at noon today, along with Charleston County, as officials prepare for any local impacts from Hurricane Michael.
• City offices will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, October 11, 2018, and are expected to re-open as normal on Friday, October 12, 2018.
• City crews have secured pumps and continue clearing ditches and drains of debris to prepare for the effects of potential flooding. The Parks Department continues lowering the water levels in Colonial Lake and Lake Dotterer.
• In addition, city crews have begun pre-staging barricades in low-lying areas in anticipation of possible road closures due to tidal flooding on Thursday.
• All Recreation Department programs and games scheduled for Thursday are cancelled. The Lowcounty Senior Center will be closed on Thursday, as well.
• Garbage and trash collection citywide will not occur tomorrow. Thursday routes are expected to resume on Friday, and Friday routes on Saturday.
• Beginning at 7 PM tonight, the Aquarium parking garage located at 24 Calhoun Street and the Visitor Center parking garage at 63 Mary Street will be open for citizens to park their cars for free during the storm. Cars must be removed by 8 AM Friday.
• The West Ashley Farmers Market originally scheduled for today, Wednesday, October 10, has been cancelled. It is expected to resume Wednesday, October 17 through Wednesday, October 24.
• Based on the most recent forecast, the city of Charleston is expecting an 8-foot high tide at 10:19 AM tomorrow morning, October 11, 2018, which will likely result in significant flooding in low lying areas.
• Other potential impacts for the Charleston area include wind and threat of tornadoes, with rainfall expected through Friday morning.
• City officials remain in close coordination with tri-county officials and other local agencies and will continue to receive regular updates from the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service in Charleston.
• For the most accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts, residents should stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service Charleston, as well as local media and the FEMA app.

Wednesday, October 10th at 3:00 PM

For the safety of all residents and guests, the community pools (Pierce Park, Edgefield Park, and Scott Park) and boat landings (Ralston Creek and Beresford Creek) will close at 8 PM today, Wednesday, October 10th until further notice.

Due to predicted tropical storm conditions associated with Hurricane Michael, the POA Office will be closed on Thursday, October 11th. If weather permits on Friday, October 12th, the POA office will be open 8:30 AM to 12 PM (the office will close at 12 PM on Friday due to previously scheduled maintenance work being performed at the POA office).

If you have an emergency, please call 911. For all other issues regarding POA maintained property, please email reportaproblem@dicommunity.org. Please send address/location of the issue and a photo. If email is down, please call Chris Hamil, Field Operations Manager at (843) 696-4676.

Tuesday, October 9th at 2:45 PM

Daniel Island may experience Tropical Storm conditions (significant rainfall, flooding and high winds) within the next few days due to Hurricane Michael. Based on the most recent forecast, potential impacts for the Charleston area include wind and threat of tornadoes, with rainfall expected through Friday morning. Ponding on roadways is possible, which could result in some road closures. City officials remain in close coordination with tri-county officials and other local agencies and will continue to receive regular updates from the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service in Charleston. Public Service crews have secured pumps and begun clearing drains to prepare for the effects of potential flooding.

Be vigilant in monitoring the weather conditions closely and be prepared to follow recommendations of state and local authorities as hurricanes are unpredictable. Please take some time to read the below information as it includes important updates, contacts and useful tips.

Resident Safety Information

• Daniel Island is in Evacuation Zone B http://gis.berkeleycountysc.gov/hurricane
• Be sure to check around the entire perimeter of your residence and secure or bring inside any exterior items such as trash cans, recycling bins, planters (both hanging and potted), yard art, furniture, grills, bird feeders, basketball hoops, sports goals & other play/recreational equipment and any other loose items that could damage your property or neighboring properties or become life threatening projectiles.
• Residents are encouraged to review the city’s Hurricane Information webpage and the available resources at http://www.charleston-sc.gov/hurricane-information. For the most accurate and up-to-date weather forecasts, residents should stay tuned to the National Hurricane Center and National Weather Service Charleston websites, as well as local media and the FEMA app. Citizens and visitors with questions may call the Citizen Services Desk at 843-724-7311. Additional hurricane preparedness information can be found at www.scemd.org and in the downloadable Charleston County Hurricane Preparedness Guide.
• Make sure you have an adequate supply of canned goods, bottled water, radio, cell phone, portable charger and batteries. If you do not have bottled water on hand, fill a bathtub or sink with fresh water.
• The POA Field Operations Staff is in the process of completing preparations for Tropical Storm Michael for all of our common areas, pools, boats landings and other amenities.
  • Please stay off of the boardwalks, out of the boat landings and off of the docks throughout the community until inspectors have looked at these areas and reopen them post storm.
• Make necessary accommodations for pets.
• Monitor the weather conditions closely and be prepared to follow recommendations of state and local authorities.
• Residents should review personal safety and hurricane preparedness plans, local evacuation zones and locate the nearest hurricane evacuation routes.
• Charleston County rarely closes bridges during such weather events because when the bridges become unsafe for motorists, they are also unsafe for the emergency vehicles that would have to mobilize to do so.
• The public can expect warnings during storms that produce high winds, according to the county’s Emergency Operations Center website. The first is a Condition Yellow warning. When winds reach maximum sustained speeds of 30 mph, the county’s Emergency Operations Center will issue a Condition Yellow warning. That means high-profile vehicles like box-trucks used by package delivery companies, tractor trailers, motor homes and vehicles pulling box-type trailers, large sailboats or other watercraft should avoid high-span or exposed bridges. Also, motorists should use extreme caution if they choose to drive across other bridges. The second is a Condition Red warning. When maximum sustained winds reach a speed of 40 mph, the Condition Red warning will indicate high-span or exposed bridges are unsafe for public travel.

Contractor/Builder Information

• All builders and contractors have been asked to remove or secure their dumpsters with a cover and to remove or secure all port-o-lets and loose materials at job sites. If you are having personal renovations or remodeling at your home, please remind your contractors/builders about these items.

Reporting Issues/Outages

• In the event you lose electricity, notify SCE&G of power outages.
• For downed power lines, tree limbs, trees or other large debris that you may encounter in the streets or roads, please call 911 to report them. Downed or damaged City street trees, which are located between the curb and sidewalk should be reported to the City of Charleston Urban Forestry Division Manager, Clark DeCiantis at DeCiantisF@charleston-sc.gov or call Office: (843) 724-7148 or Mobile: (843) 509-9410.
• Any tree on someone’s personal property or in the right of way in front of their property is their responsibility to remove if fallen. If a tree must be removed, please send a picture to reportaproblem@dicommunity.org along with the species of tree if known. This information is helpful should the tree need to be replaced.
• For all other issues regarding POA maintained property, for example, boat landings, pools, trails, parks (other than Governors, Freedom or Etiwan), common areas, or ponds, please email reportaproblem@dicommunity.org. Any information you can send, including address/location of the issue and a photo of the problem is appreciated. If email is not working, please call Chris Hamil, Field Operations Manager at (843) 696-4676.

POA Staff Safety Information

For the safety of our POA team, the POA office may close depending on the track of the storm and recommendations of local and state authorities. If the office does close, staff will return to the island as soon as officials declare it is safe to return.

Important Contacts
Police & Fire –
24/7 NON-EMERGENCY – 843-743-7200.
*FOR POLICE OR FIRE EMERGENCIES ALWAYS DIAL 911
Traffic & Transportation (To report traffic lights that are out or downed stop signs)- 843-724-7368

Phone, Cable & Internet Service
AT&T – 800-288-2020
Home Telecom – 843-277-7307

Electric & Gas
South Carolina Electric & Gas – 1-800-251-7234
SCE&G Maintenance Number (24 hr. emergency service) – 1-888-333-4465

Trash/Yard Debris
City of Charleston- 843-724-7364 and 843-724-7365
Matt Altop – (843) 720-3882

Water/Sewer
Charleston Water System – 843-727-6800
City of Charleston (Drainage) Public Service (Drainage) – 843-724-7367

Curbside Recycling
Suburban Disposal/Republic Services – 843-873-4810

Berkeley County Services
Emergency Preparedness – 843-719-4166
Mosquito Abatement Program – 843-719-4646

City of Charleston Public Services
Streets & Sidewalks – 843-724-3754
Potholes – 843-724-7366
Animal Control – 843-720-3915
Citizens Information line – 843-973-7219

Alligator or Wildlife
(DNR) – 843-953-9856 or (after hours or emergency) 1-800-922-5431

Re-Entry Post Storm

Daniel Island does not have a re-entry program. The state and local officials will determine protocol and timing of any post evacuation re-entry to DI.

Important Media Websites and Links

South Carolina Emergency Management Division:
http://www.scemd.org/

Berkeley County Emergency Management Division
http://gis.berkeleycountysc.gov/hurricane/

2018 South Carolina Hurricane Guide
http://scemd.cdn.missc.net/media/1282/2018-hurricane-guide_website.pdf

National Weather Service
http://www.weather.gov/

SCE&G
sceg.com/storm

Charleston Water Systems
http://www.charlestonwater.com/

Live 5 News 
http://www.live5news.com/weather

ABC News 4 
http://abcnews4.com/

Post & Courier 
http://www.postandcourier.com/

SCDOT 511 (bride closures, road conditions and traffic)
https://www.scdot.org/travel/travel-road.aspx (also available as Mobile App)

During the course of the storm, we will be using Facebook (Daniel Island Property Owners Association) and our Website to post updates as we receive them from state and local authorities.