We are still awaiting the announcement from the governor lifting the evacuation notice, but in the meantime everything on the property appears to be okay. All the water has receded and there is no major damage visible, just a fair amount of debris. It is unknown if any units took on any water. Once everyone returns and gets into their villas we will know for sure. We will be conducting inspections once everyone is allowed back on the island and we get back up to full strength regular operations.
A letter from Hilton Head Island Mayor David Bennett
Good evening, Islanders,
What a day it was! How proud all Islanders should be of their Town, including all First Responders, Emergency Operations Center personnel, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, our utility providers and everyone else who assisted. We weathered an incredible tropical storm and many have sustained some flooding and other damage from the combination of rains and storm surge intersecting with high tide. Irma has all but passed now and our resources are laser-focused on helping one another repair, recover and welcome all of our Islanders home.
About Re-Entry
Your Town is hard at work right now preparing for your return. The Hilton Head Hospital Emergency Room operations are in the process of being restored. The damage assessment of roadways and causeways that is currently being conducted by Beaufort County and SCDOT should be completed by Tuesday [9/12/17] at 8:30 a.m. Utility companies and PSD’s are working to repair any outages and service interruptions. As of this writing, 8,100 Palmetto Electric customers on Hilton Head Island are without power. Your Fire Rescue is fully operational.
Our goal is to be prepared to allow re-entry to the Island tomorrow upon the lifting of the evacuation order by the Governor. Once the Governor has lifted the evacuation order, and the Town has simultaneously done likewise, you will be free to cross the bridge without interruption and return to your homes and businesses.
We have sustained damages, and many of our neighbors in Bluffton, Beaufort and Beaufort County have too. Let’s extend to each other compassion, encouragement and assistance. Thank you so much for your patience and support during this time. Your Town looks forward to your return.
Sincerely,
Mayor David Bennett
Flash Flood Warning in Effect
Approximately 20,000 customers without power so far in Beaufort County. Flash Flood Warning in effect.
Hurricane Irma was downgraded to a tropical storm this morning. Beaufort County is presently under a flash flood warning. 4-6 feet of storm surge inundation, 4-8 inches of rain are forecasted for our area. Please stay indoors today and avoid driving. Utility companies report over 20,000 customers in Beaufort County are without power. Sheriff’s Office Emergency Management continues to closely monitor the storm and we will update you as soon as information becomes available.
mandatory Curfew
The Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department has issued a mandatory curfew for the following Beaufort County barrier islands: Hilton Head Island, Daufuskie Island, Harbour Island, Fripp Island & Hunting Island from 7:00 PM-7:00 AM Saturday night, Sunday and Monday.
Hurricane Rumor Control
FEMA has created a Hurricane Rumor Control webpage to disseminate accurate information on to all individuals in the path of Hurricane Irma. Visit https://www.fema.gov/hurricane-irma-rumor-control.
Jasper County Shelter Open
“Hurricane Irma Update: Jasper County Shelter Open for Beaufort County Evacuees. Tidal surge already being reported. ” from Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office.
Practical Tips to Prepare Before a Hurricane
|
Hurricane Irma Update
To all:
As you are aware, Gov. Henry McMaster declared a State of Emergency yesterday allowing for state agencies to coordinate efforts if a weather emergency arises.
If you were unable to tune in to the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office Hurricane Irma broadcast, you can find the video here: https://youtu.be/nAMT7s3iTcY
To summarize, THIS IS NOT HURRICANE MATTHEW! This hurricane is an entirely different scenario, which will be more impactful to South Carolina than Hurricane Matthew was, according to the National Hurricane experts. At this time, this storm has been holding strong at a Category 5, however, that is not expected to last. There are currently three potential Hurricane Irma scenarios at this time, which are explained in the broadcast. If it comes to a point of evacuation, you have to keep in mind that there are three states that will be evacuating at once. PLEASE be sure to have a strategy in place in the event that a mandatory evacuation is issued and plan to be gone for at least 3 to 5 days minimum.
If an evacuation is mandated, please do not plan to re-enter Beaufort County without calling their Re-Entry number first. The Beaufort County re-entry phone number is (800) 963-5023. This line will be active during and post storm. THIS IS THE BEST SOURCE OF INFORMATION FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY FOR RE-ENTRY ONLY. During Hurricane Matthew, there were 144 identified sources giving out Matthew information, most of which was erroneous.
Keep in mind, “The reason we leave Beaufort County is because of the water. We Run from the Water, We Hide from the Wind. WE ARE CALLED THE LOW COUNTRY FOR A REASON,” says Lieutenant Colonel Neil Baxley.
Due to the circumstances of planning for a possible evacuation, hard copy mailing of this notice is not possible so we ask all of you to please communicate this information with your neighbors, who may not have access to email, your rental agents and/or your tenants. You can also visit our website for updated information at http://www.htausa.com . We are also including several helpful links below.
If there is a forced evacuation, we at High Tide will also have to evacuate and will only be able to pick up messages infrequently. Please be assured that, once we are all allowed back, we will work with vendors to assess and repair any damage to the property. If repairs are needed, we ask that you be patient – after Matthew there was a lot of damage to repair and repair people were extremely busy.
Attached are some helpful tips to prepare for events such as Hurricane Irma. …and below, the first three links are crucial to stay properly informed.
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
- RE-ENTRY HOTLINE: (800) 963-5023 For a storm, there is pre-storm, during the storm and after the storm. This number is for during and after…not now.
- National Hurricane Center: www.nhc.noaa.gov Select warnings and watches, scroll down to Irma. On the right side, you’ll see a box Warning/Cone Static Images. Click on it. Select the Forecast Track line to the On position. Now you can view the track..Note at the bottom, how fast the storm is moving…yesterday it was 16 mph, today it’s 17 mph. Yesterday the wind speed was 185, today it’s 180 (it’s going over the Caribbean islands now)
- This next link was shared with me by BELFOR. https://www.ventusky.com/ This link is like the NHC on steroids. Type in your zip code and then the arrow. At the bottom left, you’ll see you can “change the date”. Select Sunday. Along the bottom there is a time bar. Select 2PM. The map will show a forecast of Sunday at 2PM. On the right side, select “wind speed”. This will be added information to the “you are here” spot. You can also select “wind gust”. Next, change the date from Sunday to Monday. This sight is a real eyeopener…
- To receive current and CORRECT info, sign up for Nixle. http://www.nixle.com/ You will receive information and alerts straight from Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office. Type in your zip code and then go. Fill in your name, password, e-mail address, phone number for texting…takes 60 seconds. The last update was just now at 11:45AM..NO EVAC ORDERS YET. Terrific site to get connected to.
- Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office: www.bcso.net
- South Carolina Emergency Management Division: www.scemd.org
- Town of Hilton Head: www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov
- Town of Bluffton: www.townofbluffton.sc.gov
We will be sure to provide up to date information as we receive it.
Again, please heed all warnings and advice for this type of event and stay safe.
Hurricane Irma Preparations Begin Today
To all Woodlake Residents
It appears that Hurricane Irma will definitely impact our area so we are now beginning our hurricane preparations. The pool and fitness center will now be closed as we start this process. Please bring indoors all items from your patio areas and tie down all remaining items that are too large to bring indoors. For those of you who may want to board up your windows and doors, please secure any plywood or shutter materials to the window and door trim boards and please do not secure anything to the building siding or stucco. If an evacuation order is given, we highly suggest that you leave and move to safer areas. Once the storm has passed, Woodlake personnel and contractors will be back on site to assess any damage and take immediate steps to secure the property, eliminate any safety hazards and begin any needed repairs. Let’s hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. Stay Safe Everyone!!
A todos los residentes de Woodlake
Parece que el huracán Irma definitivamente afectará nuestra área así que ahora estamos comenzando nuestros preparativos para huracanes. La piscina y el gimnasio estarán cerrados al iniciar este proceso. Por favor traiga en el interior todos los artículos de las áreas de su patio y atar todos los elementos restantes que son demasiado grandes para llevar en el interior. Para aquellos de ustedes que quieran montar sus ventanas y puertas, por favor asegure cualquier madera contrachapada o materiales de obturación a la ventana y tableros de la puerta y por favor no asegurar nada al revestimiento del edificio o estuco. Si se da una orden de evacuación, le sugerimos que salga y se mude a áreas más seguras. Una vez que la tormenta ha pasado, el personal de Woodlake y los contratistas estarán de vuelta en el sitio para evaluar cualquier daño y tomar medidas inmediatas para asegurar la propiedad, eliminar cualquier peligro de seguridad y comenzar cualquier reparación necesaria. Esperemos lo mejor, pero prepárate para lo peor. Manténgase a salvo a todos !!
Woodlake News, August 2, 2017
Several newsletters and notifications have been sent out in the past asking that all residents please follow certain procedures for entry to the property when the gate is active. These policies were designed to maintain proper vehicle flow and minimize wear and tear on the equipment. While a majority of residents have complied, the number that hasn’t has caused several issues with illegal entry and maintenance problems. We are now able to program the gate operation to eliminate some of these issues. Woodlake has changed the way the drop-down gate/barrier arm works when entering the property. Now when you enter the property and there is another vehicle in front of you, you must wait until the car in front of you goes through the gate and the barrier arm comes all the way down to a complete stop before using your vehicle entry pass. If you use your card or Click-to Enter while the barrier arm is in motion it will not accept the command to open and you will have to back up and start over. These changes were made to help prevent problems that were caused to the barrier arm being stopped while in motion and reversing direction. The timing of the barrier arm dropping once a car has past has also been accelerated to prevent more than one vehicle from entering at a time.
We continue to have problems with residents putting unauthorized items in the garbage and landscape dumpsters. There are eight garbage dumpster enclosures throughout Woodlake and they are for household garbage only. No appliances, bedding, furniture, etc. is allowed. We also have one landscape dumpster which is used for landscape debris only, no appliances, bedding, furniture, etc. is allowed in this dumpster either. All appliances, bedding, furniture, etc. must be taken off the property by the owner or tenant. We must pay an outside contractor almost every week to remove unauthorized items. This is a cost that is passed on to All owners and results in higher regime fees and rents. This is literally taking money out of your pockets. If you see anyone putting any unauthorized items in or around any dumpster please call the on-site office at 843 689-3366 and let us know who it was and what villa they came from or get the make, model, color and license plate number of the vehicle. There is a $50.00 reward offered for information that results in an offender being caught and fines paid. Further, no Owner or Tenant shall send any employee of the Property Manager out of the complex on any private business and shall not direct any employee to do any kind of work on the property without first asking the on-site superintendent or the Property Manager.
