Hanna Causing SC To Hold Back Resources

By: Chris Cato | News Channel 7
Published: September 01, 2008

With Hanna now a hurricane in the Atlantic, relief agencies and government offices in South Carolina are holding on to resources that might normally be sent to the Gulf Coast. The Piedmont Chapter of the American Red Cross, which serves the Spartanburg area, has sent no volunteers to assist with relief from Hurricane Gustav. Director Rochelle Brown says the chapter wants to make sure they have enough volunteers to support the Upstate and other areas of the state if Hanna has an impact.
“We are in a holding pattern for now,” says Brown. “We would normally help with a situation like Gustav, but our volunteers may be needed right here at home.”
She says at this point, the chapter has not opened any emergency shelters but they have identified the first shelters that would be opened.
The Upstate Chapter of the American Red Cross, which serves the Greenville area, has sent four disaster response volunteers to Louisiana. Spokesperson Brian Scoles says typically more volunteers would be sent but the chapter has to prepare for a possible response to any damage caused by Hanna.
“We are waiting to see what the impact from Hanna will be,” says Scoles. “If South Carolina is not affected, we will release more volunteers to the Gulf Coast to help Gustav.”
Duke Energy, which sent work crews to Mississippi in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, has no plans to send employees to the region this time. A spokesperson says Duke Energy is “on alert” for Hanna and is preparing crews for a possible response in both South Carolina and North Carolina.
The state’s Emergency Management Division in Columbia is closely watching Hanna but at this time is not ready to make any public warnings. Spokesperson Joseph Farmer says it will likely be Friday before Hanna has an impact on the Palmetto State. He says no emergency operation centers in the state have been activated at this point, but they may partially activate some centers on Tuesday. He says his division is keeping the Governor’s office posted on the developments.
The South Carolina Army National Guard also has not deployed guardsmen to the Gulf Coast region as it did in the wake of Katrina. Farmer says all states operate under a federal emergency aid pact and in situations like this, states that are in the path of other storms are not called upon to send resources to affected areas.