LEXINGTON COUNTY, SC (WSPA) — State officials said they’ll be ready for any severe winter weather. They are urging all South Carolinians to make preparations as well.
Representatives from various state agencies got together at the South Carolina Emergency Operations Center Tuesday morning for a news conference.
South Carolina Emergency Management Division Director Kim Stenson said, “We need everybody to be their own emergency manager.”
Director Stenson said severe winter weather is more likely to happen in January or February but now is time the time to prepare.
While severe winter weather in South Carolina is rare, some of the state’s costliest natural disasters have been ice storms. In February 2014, an ice-storm caused more than $250 million in damages across the state.
Deputy Adjutant General Brigadier General Jeff Jones said, “History has shown Mother Nature can strike in any location in the state.”
The South Carolina Department of Transportation said they’re prepared. Deputy Secretary of Engineering Leland Colvin said the agency has 1,200 pieces of equipment, 2,500 field employees and more than 60,000 tons of road salt on hand.
He said, “All of our equipment has been checked prepped and calibrated. We’ve also reviewed our routes as part of our operational plan.”
To download a severe winter weather guide created by SCEMD click or tap here.