Storm warning ends for Aiken and North Augusta as Idalia's rains move on

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As Idalia caused a near-record-high tide in Charleston late Wednesday, the tropical storm's winds and rains had largely moved past Aiken and North Augusta by 10 p.m.

And around 11 p.m., the National Weather Service ended a tropical storm warning that stretched across much of the CSRA and Midlands, which included Aiken. The service's forecast left open the possibility that Aiken could see another half-inch of rain before daybreak Thursday, while North Augusta could get another quarter-inch.

Earlier Wednesday afternoon, Aiken County spent hours under a since-expired flood watch.

"This is going to be a late evening and overnight event, so people really need to stay off the roads and shelter in place at home. That would be the best thing for them," Aiken County Emergency Management Director Paul Matthews said around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday. Earlier in the day, he participated in briefings with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division and National Weather Service.

His big takeaway: Little had changed from earlier forecasts.

"The main things we are looking at, obviously, are flooding and some wind," he said.

That possible flooding was enough of a concern that Aiken County Public School District announced Wednesday afternoon it would cancel classes Thursday. Because of concerns about possible road conditions, the Aiken Standard won't deliver Thursday's edition to a route that includes part of the Beech Island area.

Recent rains had already caused flooding concerns earlier in the week, with part of Aiken County spending three hours under a flash flood warning that started about 11 p.m. Sunday. From the same weather event, nearby Augusta Regional Airport at Bush Field recorded more than 2 inches of rain in a six-hour span. The same weather station at Bush Field recorded nearly 3 inches of rainfall Wednesday from Idalia.

When Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency at 3 p.m. Tuesday, he also warned about possible flooding in South Carolina.

Preparations in Aiken, Aiken County

"We are ready for the storm based on the current conditions they are forecasting," Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh said Wednesday morning.

The City of Aiken's offices were set to close at 3 p.m. Wednesday and reopen at 10 a.m. Thursday.

Prior to Wednesday, the City of Aiken's staff "inspected storm drains and cleaned out drains in preparation for abnormally high amounts of rainfall," Bedenbaugh said. "We inspected city-owned dams and ponds as well. We also inspected our new construction projects and ongoing construction projects to make sure that mitigation efforts were in place to minimize stormwater runoff.

"We inspected our generators and topped off fuel in all of them to ensure our water and sewer utility operations could continue as normal in the event of a sustained power outage," Bedenbaugh added. "We've been coordinating with the South Carolina Department of Transportation on [how to deal with excess water] in intersections and flood-prone areas. We're ready to coordinate with the [American] Red Cross should we need to open city facilities for shelters."

Bedenbaugh told the Aiken Standard that Department of Public Safety personnel were prepared to provide assistance "as it relates to any issues caused by the weather" and that the city's equipment "for addressing any downed trees that might block roadways and so forth" was ready for use.

"If residents have concerns, they can phone 803-642-7620, but certainly if there is an emergency, they should call 911," Bedenbaugh said.

Another way for Aikenites to communicate with the city is TextMyGov.

"They can opt-in by texting 803-989-7779," Bedenbaugh said.

The system only recognizes keywords and phrases. For best results, lengthy questions and statements should not be sent, according to cityofaiken.gov.

Matthews told the Aiken Standard Tuesday that the storm would mostly be a rain event for the area.

"Low-lying areas that are prone to flooding may see some of that, and obviously, there could be localized flooding on roadways," he said. "We could have flash flooding as well."

Matthews has been busy coordinating the county's efforts ahead of Idalia moving through the area.

"We're going through our regular preparedness process," he said. "We've done what we always do during a time like this. We go through our checklist and make sure our generators are ready to go ... our county fuel islands are fueled up and our county vehicles are fueled up.

"We check our communications gear to make sure the batteries are charged. We also do a communications check with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, and that's through our satellite phones and our 800-megahertz radio system."

Matthews reported Thursday that "the primary thing that we've been doing is looking at all of our missions, looking at all of our teams and looking at all of our plans to make sure that everybody is ready to go. We've made sure that communications work. We've made sure that everything is fueled up. All of that was done days ago, so we're in good shape there.

"We've made sure our damage assessment team is ready to go," he continued. "All of them have been briefed. We have no sheltering missions going on in the county. There are no coastal evacuations [in South Carolina].

"We've talked through plans. We have contingency plans," Matthews concluded. "We've made sure that everybody understands the threats and the probability of what we may be encountering. Unfortunately, the hard part is waiting to see what the impact is."

At aikencountysc.gov, there is a red banner at the top of the home page that people can click on to get information about Idalia.

Share your news

If you have storm-related news to share, such as cancellations, closings or delays, or want to share photos or damage reports, email mhensley@aikenstandard.com.

Need to know

— A number of area schools announced schedule changes for Wednesday and Thursday.

— The Augusta GreenJackets have postponed Wednesday's game.

— At noon Wednesday, Fort Gordon implemented a "max telework and/or liberal leave for all non-essential workforce" and a delayed 10 a.m. start time for Thursday.

— Aiken County Best Friend Express buses will stop early Wednesday.

— The Salvation Army of Aiken is opening its shelter at 604 Park Ave. to anyone experiencing homelessness who needs shelter from the storm. For information, call 803-641-4149.

— Since South Carolina is under a state of emergency, the price-gouging law is in effect.

Helpful links

— Emergency preparedness checklist

— What to do in a hurricane watch or warning

— What to do for your pets when a hurricane comes

For the latest on Idalia and its potential statewide impact, visit postandcourier.com/hurricanewire/.