MORNING HEADLINES | Freezing temperatures welcomed South Carolinians as they awoke this morning throughout the state. That means you need to bundle up, check the pressure in your car’s tires and make sure everything is snug as a bug in a rug.
Across the state Wednesday, temperatures will reach as high as 53 degrees, with lows dipping to around high 20s and 30s in the Lowcountry and low 20s and high teens in the Midlands and Upstate region.
Officials say the months ahead could be wetter than in the past. They urge you to be prepared for hazards that include the possibilities of closed highways, blocked roads, black ice, downed trees and power lines, and the potential for hypothermia. Coastal and inland areas may also face flood risks from winter storms.
“We typically expect severe weather here in South Carolina in January and February, but now is the time we need to prepare for those events,” said Kim Stenson, Director of the Emergency Management Division.
She added that people must stock up on winter supplies and learn how to turn off water valves as a safety precaution to prevent frozen or even burst pipes.
Some more helpful tips include:
- Add winter supplies, like shovels and rock salt, to your emergency kit.
- Prepare for possible isolation in your home by having sufficient heating fuel; regular fuel sources may be cut off.
- Insulate pipes with insulation or newspapers and plastic and let faucets drip slightly in cold weather to prevent freezing.
- Use portable generators carefully during outages; follow the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.
- Ensure your fireplace has a sturdy screen to contain sparks. Cool ashes before placing them in a metal container, kept at a safe distance from your home.
- Have chimneys inspected and cleaned yearly by a professional to prevent creosote buildup, which is highly flammable.
- Equip every vehicle with a winter emergency kit, including a shovel, windshield scraper, flashlight, battery-powered radio, water, snacks, matches, extra hats, socks, mittens, a first aid kit, medications, blankets, road salt, booster cables, emergency flares and a fluorescent distress flag.
For those without shelter in the Charleston area, several warming shelters have opened up to protect you from the near-freezing temperatures:
Charleston County:
Aldersgate UMC – 1444 Remount Road in North Charleston: Admission takes place from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. The shelter closes at 7 a.m. the following morning.
Hibben UMC – 690 Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant: Doors to the shelter will open at 7 p.m. A hot dinner and breakfast, shower, and cots will be provided.
Berkeley County:
Goose Creek United Methodist Church – 142 Red Bank Road in Goose Creek: The shelter will be open to guests from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. Guests can get transportation to the center by using the CARTA bus system.
Dorchester County:
Seacoast Church Summerville – 301 E. 5th N. St. in Summerville: The shelter will open at 7 p.m. and close at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and Thursday. It will also be open on Wednesday at 9 p.m. and close at 7 a.m. the next morning.
If in need of help for transportation, text TRANSPORT to 320320 or call 843-486-0193 and choose the warming center option.
In other recent headlines:
Lowcountry boater spots first North Atlantic right whale calf this season. It’s baby season for North Atlantic right whales and already researchers have confirmed a calf spotted by a boater near the coast of Cape Romaine, S.C. just before Thanksgiving is the first.
‘Bike Bus’ is getting Charleston students to school. Nearly 100 students and parents gather once a month for a communal ride to James Simons Montessori School to become what has been dubbed a ‘Bike Bus.’ The ride helps push for sustainability, as well as better infrastructure and increased safety along the route. Plus, it’s a fun exercise for some students and motivation to get to school.
Charleston Co. asks parents to weigh in on new start times for schools. Charleston County School District is weighing the option to switch up start times for schools in three districts, and parents are already sharing some strong opinions.
Community shares ideas to retain District 9 students in Charleston Co. schools. Several parents, community members, teachers and staff of District 9 in Charleston County School District gathered at St. John’s High School to voice their concerns and share ideas on how to keep students in their schools. District 9 currently has three elementary schools, with a new one on the way, and one middle and high school.
North Charleston could soon see a new community center. The City of North Charleston plans to use leftover ‘American Rescue Plan’, or ARPA, funds to build a new Gethsemani Community Center.
Revived Harold’s Cabin space opens in downtown Charleston. Lillian’s Petite Market & Eatery officially opened for service on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 247 Congress St. in the former Harold’s Cabin space that blends history, community and modern convenience with all-day dining, a market, a restaurant and gathering spaces.
North Charleston chemical maker is investing $43M next to closed WestRock mill. North Charleston-based Ingevity Corp. announced a plan Dec. 3 to pump more than $53 million over the next five years into its refinery next to the former WestRock paper mill, between Virginia Avenue and the Cooper River.
Charleston catering and event business sold again. One of the Lowcountry’s oldest catering and event-management businesses, Duvall Catering & Events, is changing owners for the second time in its 46-year history through its parent company’s acquisition by another private-equity buyer.
Pang coming to Charleston to ‘set record straight’ on John Lennon. May Pang, who was John Lennon’s lover for 18 months, is coming to the Simpatico Gallery, 63 Broad St., in Charleston on Dec. 6 to help bolster her argument that she was a vital part of Lennon’s life, a creative and personal partner, a surrogate mother for his young son Julian and a source of happiness for the troubled former Beatle.
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