Mailboxes in this SC community are deemed safe again following hazmat scare

The warning that the town administrator in Sullivan’s Island issued for residents to stay away from their mailboxes because of a hazmat incident Tuesday has been canceled.

Andy Benke, the town administrator, sent a message to Sullivan’s Island residents informing them of an incident shortly after 2 p.m. Benke warned all residents, “Do not approach or open your curbside mailbox.”

An unidentified white powder substance was found in several mailboxes.

But the City of Charleston and Mt. Pleasant Hazardous Material teams analyzed the substance and determined it is not a threat to the public.

“After checking all the mailboxes on Sullivan’s Island and doing the on-site analysis, the substance was not hazardous and did not not pose a threat to the public,” Benke said to postandcourier.com. “We know it’s nonhazardous, and they’ll run some more tests to get a determination of what it is.”

Authorities from the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, State Law Enforcement Division, FBI and the U.S. Postal Service assisted in checking all the town's mailboxes within four hours.

This story was originally published January 16, 2018 at 4:37 PM with the headline "Mailboxes in this SC community are deemed safe again following hazmat scare."