EMD
Traditionally, “Hurricane Season” begins June 1st and will go through November 30th. However, storm systems can form throughout the year.
The “Know Your Zone” campaign from South Carolina Emergency Management Division is designed especially for this. Berkeley County provides the information for you here, you can go to SCEMD’s website, or you can find it in the latest version of the SC Hurricane Guide.
Ready.gov provides an up-to-date list of all the recommended items to keep in your disaster kit. You want to make sure that you are periodically checking your supplies to make sure everything is still operational.
OPCON (Operating Condition) refers to the level of activation the County has gone into with the Emergency Operations Plan. OPCON 3 means everything is normal, while OPCON 1 means that a major event is currently in progress.
No, we deal with much more than that. In fact, hurricane preparation and response makes up only a small part of what our office deals with on a day-to-day basis. Berkeley County EMD prepares for all hazards, which includes natural disasters, man-made events, and attacks. This can be anything from an earthquake, to a chemical spill, to a terrorist action. Our job is to help the County be ready for, and respond to, any kind of major incident.
Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT) are a way that the citizens of Berkeley County can take an active role in helping to respond to an emergency situation. The CERT program provides training and equipment to community members so that they can assist in large scale incidents. For more information, or to sign up for our next training class, click here.
