Hurricane Irma Notice - Sept. 6 - 4:00 P.M.

S.C. Governor Henry McMaster declared a “state of emergency” today, September 6, following information from state forecasters who warned Hurricane Irma could be a “major hurricane” when and if it reaches South Carolina.

The executive order permits state agencies to coordinate their efforts if a weather emergency arises.

OVERVIEW FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

While a turn to the north is looking more and more likely by later this weekend, the uncertainty with the track and subsequent impacts remains high, especially for the Carolinas.

IMPACTS

It’s too early to tell what specific surge, wind, rainfall, and tornado impacts could occur. However, regardless of the ultimate track of the storm the combination of above normal astronomical tides and large wave action is likely to cause beach erosion, which can further damage vulnerable coastal infrastructure previously damaged by Matthew.

KEY POINTS

-- People should ensure they have their hurricane plan in place. The time for initial preparations is now. Please monitor official and credible sources for further information.

-- Ensure that your supplies are in order and know what your family would do if evacuations are ordered.

-- Remember that there are large track errors in long-range hurricane predictions. Also, the error cone is not an impact cone. Impacts can occur outside of this cone.

PLAN AHEAD

If you do not have a plan, we recommend that you visit www.ready.gov which offers good advice on how to prepare for a hurricane. The storm is still far enough out that you do have time to effectively prepare for it, should it head this way.

KNOW YOUR "ZONE"

IF an evacuation is ordered in the future (none has been ordered at this time), the order will refer to Zones. If you are not familiar with the Zone in which you reside in Horry County or North Myrtle Beach, you can access the information via this link:https://tinyurl.com/y9nj6mlb If the link does not work for your, visitwww.HorryCounty.org.

As we learn more, we will post information that pertains to our area on www.nmb.us, Facebook/cityofnmb and Twitter @cityofnmb. We will also continue to use our Email News Groups.