As
of October 28 the City can record the following progress in post-hurricane
cleanup:
1. Ultimately,
two collection passes will be made to pick up “vegetative/woody debris” (yard
waste) and “construction/demolition debris” (C&D debris).
2. First
pass pickup of yard waste by City crews from public roads in Barefoot Resort
began October 24 and has been completed.
3. First
pass pickup of yard waste by City crews from public roads in Windy Hill will be
completed on October 29.
4. First
pass pickup of C&D debris in Cherry Grove Beach began October 25 and is
ongoing. (The City has hired the private disaster response contractor Phillips
& Jordan to assist in debris collection.)
5. First
pass pickup of yard waste debris by City crews in Crescent Beach between
Highway 17 and the airport area (Timber Ridge, Airport, Pinewood Acres) begins October
31.
6. First
pass pickup of C&D debris by City crews from public roads in Windy
Hill/Barefoot Resort begins October 31.
7. Once
crews have completed the first pass pickup in a collection zone, it may be
several weeks before collection resumes in that area if additional debris is
placed at the roadside.
8. Pickup
of yard debris, and C&D debris, by our federally approved contactor Phillips
& Jordan is not allowed in gated neighborhoods with private roads. However,
the City has been working through the SC Emergency Management Division and FEMA
to seek a waiver of this restriction. State and federal representatives toured
private roads on October 28 to assess the amount of debris located there.
9. As
the yard waste debris and C&D debris collection processes move forward, we
will identify the next locations to be picked up by City crews and the City’s
contractor, Phillips & Jordan.
10. City
crews have cleared an abundance of fallen trees and other debris from public
parks, and all parks are open to the public on normal schedules.
11. City
personnel have assessed 189 out of 196 dune walkover structures on the beach
for hurricane related damage and assessment work will be completed November 1.
The damage information will then be submitted to FEMA in hopes that the City
may receive some funding assistance in rebuilding the damaged structures.
12. During
the hurricane and since its passing, City officials worked to provide the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers with photos of dune and beach-sand losses. Immediately
following the hurricane, measurements were also taken of the beach face and
submitted to the Corps. The City is also working in unison with other Horry
County jurisdictions to seek emergency beach renourishment funding, and,
barring that occurrence, to make every effort to ensure that funding is
included in the federal budget for the regularly scheduled 2018 10-year Grand
Strand-wide beach renourishment project.
13. City
Messaging— Prior to, during and following the storm, the City issued many
advisories, assessments and work updates to its property owners, businesses and
the general public via social media, email news groups, websites, etc.
Appropriate versions of these messages were also provided by the North Myrtle
Beach Area Chamber of Commerce to its many audiences, including businesses, and
traditional and prospective vacationers.
1. City
information outlets:
4.
Email
News Group: Join for free and receive the same news releases that are sent to
the news media. Send your email address to Public Information Officer Pat
Dowling at pcdowling@nmb.us
Post-Hurricane Chamber of Commerce
Messaging – “The Coast is Clear”— Following the hurricane, the North Myrtle
Beach Chamber of Commerce launched a “The Coast is Clear” tourism marketing
campaign for North Myrtle Beach primarily through social media with a mix of
messaging and paid ads. Mindful of some initial safety concerns in portions of
the city, and the initial lack of electricity in sections of the city, the
Chamber’s campaign did not over-promise but reminded traditional and
prospective vacationers in key markets that North Myrtle Beach was safe,
beautiful, open for business, and quickly recovering.
