Hurricane Idalia emergency contacts Myrtle Beach, Horry County residents should know

Eleanor Nash
·3 min read

Are you prepared for Tropical Storm Idalia?

Idalia strengthened to a hurricane early Tuesday morning as it heads to the Florida coast, according to the National Weather Service Hurricane Center. Current models has the storm reaching South Carolina around early Thursday.

Before any storm makes landfall in the Grand Strand, have a list of emergency contacts on hand.

From local governments to radio stations that broadcast emergency information and where to report a power outage, this is your guide to hurricane resources in Horry County.

Here is a list of websites to monitor, social media accounts to check and phone numbers to call if a hurricane hits the Myrtle Beach area.

Local contacts

National Weather Service, Wilmington, N.C.: Weather updates for the Grand Strand. Facebook: facebook.com/NWSWilmingtonNC. Twitter: @NWSWilmingtonNC.

City of Myrtle Beach: cityofmyrtlebeach.com/i_want_to/learn_about/hurricane_preparedness.php. Sign up for weather alerts by text or email. Emergency management: 843-918-2319. Facebook: facebook.com/myrtlebeachcitygovernment. Twitter: @MyrtleBeachGov.

Horry County (including Carolina Forest, Socastee, Garden City and Little River): horrycountysc.gov/departments/emergency-management. Emergency management: 843-915-5150. Facebook: facebook.com/HorryCountyEmergencyManagementDepartment. Twitter: @HorryCounty_Gov.

City of North Myrtle Beach: nmb.us/257/Hurricane-Preparedness. City hall: 843-280-5555. Facebook: facebook.com/CityofNMB. Twitter: @CityofNMB.

City of Conway: cityofconway.com/hurricane_preparedness. City hall: 843-248-1760. Facebook: facebook.com/CityofConwaySC. Twitter: @CofConway.

Town of Surfside Beach: surfsidebeach.org/242/Resources. City hall: 843-913-6111. Facebook: facebook.com/townofsurfsidebeach.

Evacuation information

Zone: Whether you need to evacuate in a hurricane will depend on your zone. Find your zone using the map or going to the S.C. Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) website. scemd.org/prepare/know-your-zone. 803-737-8500.

Evacuation routes: Many major highways – Highway 17 Bypass, U.S. 501 and S.C. 544 and 9 – become evacuation routes in a hurricane. The S.C. Department of Transportation (SCDOT) maintains a map of evacuation routes.

Traffic: Find real-time traffic and road closure information from the SCDOT. 511sc.org.

Shelters: Locate a shelter on the SCEMD website and see if there is space. 803-737-8500. scemd.org/stay-informed/emergency-shelters.

Radio/TV stations

Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach began flooding as Hurricane Ian approached. Conditions deteriorated throughout the day on Friday in North Myrtle Beach as Hurricane Ian made landfall near Georgetown, S.C. The Cherry Grove area experienced severe flooding due to Ian’s storm surge on Friday, September 30, 2022.
Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle Beach began flooding as Hurricane Ian approached. Conditions deteriorated throughout the day on Friday in North Myrtle Beach as Hurricane Ian made landfall near Georgetown, S.C. The Cherry Grove area experienced severe flooding due to Ian’s storm surge on Friday, September 30, 2022.

Tune into these stations to get emergency alerts for Horry County. You can also call 1-866-246-0133 for information.

Radio

  • WHMC 90.1 FM

  • WYAV 104.1 FM

  • WLFF 106.5 FM

TV

  • Fox 43

  • WMBF

  • WPDE

  • WBTW

State-wide resources

National Hurricane Center: nhc.noaa.gov. Facebook: facebook.com/NWSNHC. Twitter: @NWSNHC and @NHC_Atlantic.

South Carolina Division of Emergency Management: scemd.org. 803-737-8500. Facebook: facebook.com/SCEMD. Twitter: @SCEMD. Instagram: @scemd. Email: WebAlert@emd.sc.gov.

Duke Energy Progress: duke-energy.com. 800-777-9898. Report an outage: text OUT to 57801 or call 800-769-3766. If you see a downed power line, call 9-1-1. See estimates on when power will be restored: outagemaps.duke-energy.com. Facebook: facebook.com/duke.energy. Twitter: @DukeEnergy.

Horry Electric Cooperative: horryelectric.com. 843-369-2211. Report an outage, call 843-369-2212. See estimates on when power will be restored: outages.horryelectric.com. Facebook: facebook.com/HorryElectric. Twitter: twitter.com/HorryElectric.

Santee Cooper: santeecooper.com. Report an outage, call 888-769-7688 or go to reportoutage.santeecooper.com. Facebook: facebook.com/santeecooper. Twitter: @SanteeCooper.