As Hurricane Idalia approaches South Carolina, Kiawah Island community entities are actively monitoring the storm and predicted impacts with Charleston County's Emergency Management Department and regional counterparts.

BE ADVISED

Hurricane Idalia made landfall on the coast of Florida this morning as a category 3 hurricane. Idalia is expected to approach South Carolina later this afternoon as a tropical storm. The center of the storm is anticipated to arrive in our area around 8 p.m., but could be as early as 4 p.m.

Governor McMaster has declared a state of emergency for South Carolina. (No evacuation has been ordered.) Kiawah Island is currently under a Tropical Storm Warning, a Hurricane Watch, a Storm Surge Warning and a Flood Watch.

Kiawah is currently experiencing intermittent rainfall, but the most severe weather is expected this afternoon and into Thursday morning. Kiawah will experience a king tide (8.5 ft. high tide) this evening at 8:30 p.m. coupled with a forecast of 2-4 inches of rain and a potential storm surge of 3-5 feet above ground level. Flooding is Kiawah's biggest concern. With increasing winds, water levels may remain high, even at low tide cycles.

Expect up to 50 mph wind gusts overnight and sustained wind speeds of 39 mph. Isolated tornados are possible. Be advised of rip currents and stay out of the water.

STAY SAFE, STAY HOME

Before conditions deteriorate more this afternoon, residents should finalize preparations. Secure all outdoor furniture, trash cans, and other personal property. Food, water supplies, and medications should be filled.

During the height of the storm from approximately 6:30-10 p.m., and overnight, stay at home and avoid driving. Flooding on the island will occur. Storm surge inundation is likely and can impact all areas of the island, not only ocean, marsh, and riverfront properties. If a road becomes damaged, it may not be apparent with standing water. Additionally, one foot of water can float a vehicle and two feet of rushing water can carry away most vehicles. With flooding, wildlife (like alligators and snakes) will be displaced and could be in unexpected places.

Please stay off of the roads, leisure trails, and boardwalks until noon Thursday, so that island infrastructure can be assessed for safety and debris cleanup can be executed rapidly. A high king tide Thursday at 9 a.m. may result in more flooding in the morning.

Be advised that emergency services could be delayed during the storm. If you do have an emergency, dial 911, not island security.

COMMUNITY PREPARATIONS

Kiawah Island entities are prepared for storm impacts.

KICA has continued to lower pond levels to accommodate the anticipated rainfall. (No amount of lowering will accommodate storm surge.) Water pumps are staged in areas on roads susceptible to flooding.

There are no plans to close property owner, guest, or employee access to Kiawah Island. KICA has closed the island to commercial gate access (with the exception of emergency repair services). Commercial gate access will tentatively reopen on Thursday at noon, if debris cleanup is complete.

If you are in need of an emergency repair service during this commercial access closure, contact KICA Security (securitysup@kica.us) and provide the service provider's name, date and time of arrival, and reason for service.

KICA's director and assistant director of Security will remain on-island through the storm. At the height of the storm, KICA's Vanderhorst (V) gate will not be staffed in order to allocate those employees to patrol services to assess the island. The main gate will remain staffed throughout the storm unless storm conditions threaten the safety of staff.

If conditions threaten electric infrastructure, Berkeley Electric may cut power to parts or all of the island, but there are no current plans to cut power. Power outages can be viewed or reported here.

ISLAND CLOSURES

Some island entities are closing facilities. Please view the latest information by visiting the links provided below.

Kiawah Island Community Association

The Sandcastle and KICA offices are closed today and will tentatively reopen on Thursday, Aug. 31 at noon. View more details on the event calendar.

Freshfields Village

Harris Teeter, the gas station, the pharmacy, and many other shops/restaurants are closing or modifying hours. Check special hours on the Freshfields website.

Town of Kiawah Island

Town Hall is closed today and Thursday, Aug. 31, but residents can call or submit concerns here. Stay informed at kiawahisland.org.

Kiawah Island Golf Resort

Golf courses, tennis and nature programming have modified hours of operation. Visit kiawahresort.com for details.

EMERGENCY NOTIFICATIONS

The Town of Kiawah Island leads communications in an emergency situation. Be sure to get the latest updates from the town by registering for CodeRED and emergency email notifications.

You can expect another email update on this storm tomorrow after initial damage assessments.

HELPFUL LINKS

National Weather Service

National Hurricane Center

Local Media: Live 5 News, ABC News 4, Count on 2, Post & Courier

HURRICANE GUIDES:

South Carolina | Charleston County | Town of Kiawah Island