North Myrtle Beach EOC Public Phone Line To Be Disconnected at 5 PM October 13

City of North Myrtle Beach

The North Myrtle Beach Emergency Operations Center public phone Line (843-281-3705) will be disconnected at 5:00 p.m. October 13.

After 5:00 p.m., people may call the regular Public Safety dispatch phone at 843-280-5511 for non-emergencies.

Call 9-1-1 for emergencies.

U.S. Small Business Administration Announces Disaster Declaration for Horry County

The U.S. Small Business Administration has added more counties to the disaster declaration in North and South Carolina affected by Hurricane Matthew that began on Oct. 4, 2016.

The disaster declaration now covers the counties of Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Columbus, Cumberland, Edgecombe, Hoke,Johnston, Lenoir, Nash, Pitt, Robeson, Wayne and Wilson in North Carolina, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans from the SBA.  Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans: Brunswick, Chowan, Craven, Duplin, Franklin, Greene, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hyde, Jones, Martin, Moore, Northampton, Pamlico, Pender, Richmond, Sampson, Scotland, Wake, Warren, and Washington in North Carolina; Dillon, Horry and  Marlboro in South Carolina.

Applicants may apply online using the Electronic Loan Application (ELA) via the SBA's secure website.

To be considered for all forms of disaster assistance, applicants should register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by mobile device at m.fema.gov.  If online or mobile access is unavailable, applicants should call the FEMA toll-free helpline at 800-621-3362. Those who use 711-Relay or Video Relay Services should call 800-621-3362.

Additional details on the locations of Disaster Recovery Centers and the loan application process can be obtained by calling the SBA Customer Service Center at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 for the deaf and hard-of-hearing) or by sending an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov. 

Cherry Grove Dredging Project Update

City of North Myrtle Beach, October 12, 2016, 12:05 P.M.

Although interrupted by Hurricane Matthew, work on the Cherry Grove Dredging Project has resumed. Orion Marine Group’s employees are back on site and are again working on putting together the pipeline.

Also, highway transport permits for hauling the two dredges that will be used in the project have been issued. On October 17, the company will begin transporting the dredges from Louisiana to North Myrtle Beach. They should arrive in North Myrtle Beach by the end of that week.

Weekend festivities throughout the Grand Strand to go on as scheduled

Despite ongoing Hurricane Matthew recovery operations, the Myrtle Beach Area is bouncing back and welcoming visitors. Mike Bettes of the Weather Channel said during a live broadcast from the Boardwalk yesterday, "It's sunny and beautiful and business as usual here in Myrtle Beach ... why not come on out!"

Great events taking place this week/weekend:

Pawleys Island Festival of Music & Art - Thursday, Oct. 13-Saturday, Oct. 15

Georgetown Boat Show - Friday, Oct. 14-Sunday, Oct. 16

Myrtle Beach Seafood Festival - Saturday, Oct. 15

See more Grand Strand events here.

"Myrtle Beach is back in business and it's going to be a great weekend," says Brad Dean, president and CEO of the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. "Myrtle Beach is known for its resilience. Power crews have been working around the clock and have done such an amazing job that it's hard to imagine just a few days ago we were dealing with a huge storm, now we're welcoming back visitors. But it's not just about the visitors. We know a lot of people depend on tourism for their jobs and livelihoods, so getting our economy back up and running is good for everyone."

A Survey conducted by the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce showed that many businesses are open or well on their way to being open for business! For an updated list of business openings visit the chamber website.

What's the power situation in North Myrtle Beach?

City of North Myrtle Beach, October 12, 2016, 11:15 A.M.

That’s today’s trending question. The answer is: Getting better by the hour. We still have spotty outages, and four traffic lights are still out with locations on Main Street and Sea Mountain Highway.

About 38,000 customers in Santee Cooper's service location from the Town of Briarcliffe Acres, north to Little River originally lost power due to the hurricane, and about 2,300 customers are still without power as of this writing. So, Santee Cooper is working hard and effectively to get things back to normal.

City of North Myrtle Beach Storm Debris Collection Update

City crews have worked since Sunday morning (October 9) to open streets and remove debris (fallen trees and other materials) from public rights-of-way. Road clearing operations (emergency protective measures) are only allowed on public roads under FEMA guidelines, and we are on schedule to complete those operations today (October 11). It is important that we get this work done by the end of today because there is a 72-hour window starting from the end of a hurricane for inclusion of these efforts (time and materials) for potential reimbursement to the city by FEMA.

Crews have also been working to clear public parks, which hold many downed trees and branches.

The City is running its normal collection schedule for garbage and recycling, HOWEVER, we are not running the normal yard waste collection route, since these crews must continue to assist with the road clearing operation until it is done. We are aware that property owners have placed lots of yard debris at curbside after our initial road clearing operations passed by, and be assured that the City will pick up this debris as soon as we can get to it over the next few weeks.

Currently, we are not going to collect the large quantities of homeowner-placed storm debris until the following issues are confirmed for us at the County level:

1. A Disaster declaration

 2. A Debris removal contractor

 3. A Debris management site

Once these issues are decided (there are protocols and procedures the County must follow, some of which are beyond its immediate control), the City will initiate its plan for collection of storm-generated debris placed at curbside by private property owners, and we will communicate our schedule to you.

Some have asked us why City crews have "skipped" some trees that fell in some rights-of-way. Those trees actually came down on power lines and the lines are still entwined in the trees. Santee Cooper must first remove the power lines from those trees, and then our crews will remove the trees from the rights-of-way. Of course, Santee Cooper is working hard with its own and many outside crews to restore power everywhere.

In instances where trees have fallen on private power lines, neither property owners or contractors should attempt tree removal. Contact Santee Cooper and inform them of the situation.

Hurricane Matthew Update for Residents

  

The South Carolina Forestry Commission has issued a burning ban for all South Carolina counties that will be in effect until further notice.

Citizens can visit Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce for an up to date listing of businesses that are currently open.

All Horry County Government offices and courts remain closed Monday, October 10, 2016. All essential personnel will continue to report for duty. Circuit Court jurors for this week have been excused.  All Common Pleas & General Sessions Jury trials for this week are postponed.

The number of evacuees in shelters have diminished (468 as of last night to just 31 as of noon this today). The only shelter still accepting evacuees is, Beach Church located at 557 George Bishop Parkway, Myrtle Beach.

The S.C. Dept. of Health and Environmental Control is waiving testing fee for private wells. Residents with questions about private wells should call 803-898-4312.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources will be conducting boat patrols on flooded waterways.

The Horry County Solid Waste Authority offices and recycling centers that were safely able are open today. Residents of unincorporated Horry County should utilize the recycling center closest to them to dispose of storm debris. If your yard/tree debris is larger than six inches in diameter and four feet in length, you must bring the debris to the landfill located at 1886 Highway 90.  If you live within the limits of an incorporated municipality, you should contact municipal officials regarding their debris cleanup procedures.

159+ roads closed and/or impassable

Properties along the Waccamaw River & Intracoastal Waterway are asked to monitor river levels closely as they are rising fast. The rivers are currently at major flood stage and could continue to rise. Flooding will be similar to the October 2015 floods. Residents in these areas should prepare now if they plan on evacuating their property. For information or assistance, citizens in the City of Conway can call 843-488-7664 and Horry County residents should call 843-915-5150.