SCEMD Coordinates Statewide Disaster Exercise | Events

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division is hosting the statewide disaster exercise June 5-6.   SCEMD will be coordinating with county emergency managers and members of the State Emergency Response Team (SERT) as we test our ability to respond to and recover from a hurricane.  The SERT is comprised of emergency response personnel from various state agencies and nonprofit organizations. 

This annual training event is an opportunity for everyone in South Carolina’s emergency management community to practice updated procedures as they relate to a hurricane’s landfall.  The State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) will be fully activated for the duration of the exercise. 

Hurricane season began Friday, June 1, and lasts through November 30.  SCEMD encourages everyone to review emergency plans and supplies during this time.  Please visit our website, www.scemd.org, for disaster preparedness tips, or follow SCEMD on Facebook (facebook.com/SCEMD) and Twitter (@EMDSC) for updates and alerts to appear in your profile’s newsfeed.

Tuesday, June 5

• SCEMD, in conjunction with the Department of Public Safety and a number of other state and local agencies, will test hurricane evacuation plans.  This will include lane reversal procedures for Interstate 26, U.S. 21, U.S. 278, U.S. 501 and S.C. 544 in the event of a mandatory coastal evacuation order. The exercise should not interfere with the flow of traffic. Intersections will not be blocked, and motorists will be allowed to move freely. However, the Highway Patrol cautions motorists traveling in these areas to exercise caution and be aware that law enforcement officers and state personnel will be located on the shoulder of the highway and at exits. The exercise will last from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Please note that no traffic lanes will actually be reversed during this exercise.

Wednesday, June 6

• The SERT will be exercising plans and procedures designed for actions after a hurricane makes landfall.  Initial damage assessment, the reentry of residents to an affected area and the beginning stages of the disaster recovery effort will be examined and tested during this critical phase of the exercise.