January 2017
D I G E S T
The Official Publication of the Kiawah Island Community Association
Inside the Storm: Hurricane Matthew's Impact on Kiawah
As we usher in 2017, it's hard to believe that Kiawah is only
several months removed from a hurricane having made landfall.
There is much to be thankful for: Matthew arrived at low tide,
Kiawah’s dunes did their job, most members had evacuated,
property damage was minimal and there was no loss of life or
serious injury on the island. Once the hurricane passed, work
crews were immediately out in force, ensuring safe and quick
re-entry to the island.
Tropical storms and hurricanes are a fact of life living on the
East Coast, but good fortune has mostly spared Kiawah since
Hurricane Hugo ravaged the Lowcountry in 1989. While KICA
and other island entities plan for these events, there’s nothing
that can simulate the real thing and the responsibility of securing
a 10,000-acre island; communicating with property owners,
guests and employees; coordinating with regional and state
emergency management centers; and managing the clean-up
once the storm has passed. On Kiawah, emergency management
authority rests with the Town of Kiawah Island, and executing
on that authority is a collaborative effort.
Just five weeks before Matthew, Tropical Storm Hermine resulted
in heavy wind and rain, and served as a good “wet run” for our
community’s emergency management procedures. Island entities
participated in conference calls with the Charleston County
Emergency Management Center and worked through the
operational rhythm of an approaching storm. “While Tropical
Storm Hermine posed only a minimal threat, it provided a real
time event to test emergency plans, affirm roles and responsibilities
and, most importantly, to ensure our communications across
multiple entities and to the community worked as we hoped they
would,” said KICA Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Bailey. “In an
emergency event, it’s critical that the town and KICA communicate
with one voice, and that we don’t cause confusion with differing
or inconsistent messages. There’s no doubt in my mind that we
collaborated and communicated better during Hurricane Matthew
due to the learning opportunity of Tropical Storm Hermine.”
After several days of clean up, Hermine became a memory and
the end of hurricane season was in sight. Typically, hurricane
activity picks up in late August and peaks in September, so
it’s tempting to think you’re out of the woods when October
approaches. On Friday, Sept. 30, Tropical Storm Matthew
became a hurricane in the southern Caribbean Sea and quickly
intensified to Category 5 - one the fastest intensifying storms
on record. While we never ignore reports from the tropics,
Matthew wasn’t yet considered a threat to the Carolinas, and
Kiawah was bustling with property owners and visitors who
were gearing up for a nice weekend. Temperatures were in the
mid to upper 80s with a few scattered clouds.
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