The center of Hurricane Ian made landfall near Georgetown, South Carolina at 2:05 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30 with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph and an estimated minimum central pressure of 977 mb.

It is expected that Kiawah will continue to experience tropical storm force winds. Having reached land, the system will rapidly weaken.

The community is advised to remain inside and to monitor local media. In the event of property damage, please contact the town's Bruce Spicher at bspicher@kiawahisland.org.

Charleston County Sheriff's Office has resumed operations, and deputies are available for dispatch. St. John's Fire Department has reported the Main Road, Bohicket Road and Betsy Kerrison Parkway are passable. They are currently working to remove a tree on River Road.

Recovery Efforts

Initial damage assessments are beginning. While these assessments have not been completed at this time, most of the island's roads appear to be passable. Please exercise caution if driving on the island.

KICA's maintenance teams will begin island cleanup on Saturday.

ISLAND CLOSURES

Many island entities have closed facilities today (Friday) and some remain closed, or with modified operations Saturday.

Kiawah Island Community Association

The Sandcastle will reopen on Saturday at 11 a.m., after our staff has had the opportunity to clean up and reset the facility.

Commercial gate access is closed through the weekend, with the exception of emergency repair services. To request island access authorization for an emergency repair, contact securitysup@kica.us, and provide the service provider's name, date and time of arrival, and reason for service. 

Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Most resort facilities will be closed through Saturday, although the Nest at Night Heron Park remains open. The triathlon has been rescheduled. View the resort's full schedule of modified services here.

Freshfields Village

Harris Teeter is closed. Most businesses will reopen Saturday. View modified hours on the Freshfields website.

Beachwalker Park

Beachwalker Park is closed today. Learn more.

HELPFUL LINKS

National Weather Service

National Hurricane Center