60 Irma evacuees at Columbia emergency shelter get visit from SC Gov. McMaster

S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster Monday spent 45 minutes at Columbia’s only evacuation shelter, mingling with Red Cross volunteers and some of the 60 evacuees who landed there while fleeing Tropical Storm Irma.

He told reporters afterward he met with about half of the evacuees at Dent Middle School, asking about their stay and telling them the state would try to meet their needs.

“If it weren’t for shelters like these, we’d have a lot of people in real hardship, so this is a great thing,” McMaster said.

Evacuees at the shelter told The State newspaper McMaster and his staff were personable and genuine.

“I was very glad to see him, very glad to shake his hand,” said Gail Amaker, a 65-year-old Columbia resident who fled to the shelter because she feared the storm would damage her mobile home. “You never know when you’ll get an opportunity like that.”

“He was very personable,” said Linda J., a 62-year-old Columbia resident who asked for partial anonymity because she does not want to be identified as homeless.

Most of the shelter’s evacuees were from South Carolina, though the shelter also housed Florida and Georgia residents who fled the storm, volunteers said.

Reporters were not allowed into the shelter to watch the governor interact with evacuees, per Red Cross privacy rules.

The shelter is providing cots, snacks and three meals a day, volunteers said.

“It’s a first class operation between the Red Cross and (S.C. Department of Social Services),” McMaster said, adding the shelter workers and volunteers ought to get medals for their performance.

The Richland Republican praised state leaders’ response to the storm, noting available shelter beds far outnumber evacuees who need them.

“It seems the early precautions and information that was disseminated on a state and local level has been quite effective in getting the word out and keeping people safe,” he said.

McMaster said he has no idea when evacuees of eight S.C. barrier islands will be given the all-clear to return home.

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 4:57 PM with the headline "60 Irma evacuees at Columbia emergency shelter get visit from SC Gov. McMaster."