Richland County to open first Hurricane Irma emergency shelter Saturday

Richland County will open its first emergency shelter for Hurricane Irma evacuees Saturday.

Dent Middle School, at 2721 Decker Blvd. in Columbia, will open at noon Saturday as an emergency shelter. The school will not accept animals, Richland County officials said Friday.

If people are traveling with animals and need emergency shelter for them, they are asked to call (803) 576-3439 for assistance. The county plans to house pets on an emergency basis at a facility on Broad River Road, officials said.

Richland County announced its first shelter opening shortly after declaring a state of emergency Friday, allowing the county to access state and federal recovery resources, if necessary.

“This is a serious storm, and all indications are that Richland County will be affected in some way,” County Councilman Bill Malinowski said at an afternoon news conference.

The county plans to close its offices Monday, when the area will feel the brunt of its impact from Hurricane Irma. Officials said Friday that, though the storm’s path is trending west of the Midlands, the area could still see four to seven inches of rainfall, tropical storm-force winds of up to 60 mph and possible tornadoes.

Evacuations of the Midlands appear unlikely at this point, but county officials are preparing for an influx of travelers from Florida and Georgia. The county is prepared to open two more shelters Sunday if there is a need, officials said. They did not specify where those shelters could be located.

In Lexington County, White Knoll High School is on standby if needed as a shelter, officials said Friday. But it has not yet been decided if or when the school will open as a shelter.

On Sunday, Camden High School in Kershaw County opens it’s gymnasium to evacuees. Five churches in Aiken County also opened their doors to those in need of shelter.

As of mid-afternoon Friday, none of the Midlands’ public school systems had announced closures, although it is typical of them to follow county offices’ lead on closings and delays.

This story was originally published September 8, 2017 at 4:13 PM with the headline "Richland County to open first Hurricane Irma emergency shelter Saturday."