25 www.ReadMPM.com | www.MountPleasantMagazine.com | www.MountPleasantPodcast.com our town Hurricane preparedness from a government standpoint has come a long way in my eight years as mayor. We learned at the recent Preparedness Summit held in the Lowcountry by Gov. Henry McMaster that other states are observing and learning from our region about how to coordinate effectively across multiple local and state agencies to prepare for and respond after a big storm. Regionally, I have noticed more and better communication, training and equipment to keep our citizens safe. This edition of Mount Pleasant Magazine will delve more deeply into such details. What I want to share with you are personal lessons I have learned as a long-time citizen who, beginning with the infamous Hurricane Hugo in 1989, has learned some hard lessons about hurricanes. Here is some hurricane wisdom that I’ve been taught or learned the hard way over the last four decades: • There is a lesson in sailing about shortening the sail when a storm is approaching. It goes like this: “When is it time to shorten sail? Answer: the first time you ask if it’s time.” I’ve experienced the wisdom of this more than once on offshore sailing trips. This wisdom applies to hurricane preparedness as well. It’s time to prepare when you first think about it. • Another lesson from sailing or boating when bad weather looms. “It’s better to be on the dock wishing you were on the water than to be out on the water wishing you were on the dock.” I had to learn this one the hard way, both in sailing and about hurricane evacuation. When Hurricane Hugo hit, I was in my 20s, overconfident and had never been through anything over a Category 1 storm. As Hugo came up the coast from the Caribbean, I told myself I had plenty of time to decide whether to leave, and by then, it was too late. When the winds and the water rose, I realized the foolishness of my young man's ways. Lesson learned. • We are all tempted to stay in our homes thinking our presence will mitigate damage or give us an early start on recovery. Wrong. See above. If we do get a direct hit from a major storm, we must plan on a loss of all utilities, debris blocking roads and lord forbid, floodwater everywhere. Our being in this does nothing to mitigate the property damage and puts our lives in danger. • Finally, if for some reason you do find yourself caught in a hurricane, emergency experts say, “Hide from wind, flee from water.” Most hurricane casualties are caused by flooding, not wind, though the mortal dangers of both are obvious. As a resident of Mount Pleasant, you’ve got a huge team of trained professionals equipped and ready for a hurricane. But they will tell you that only you can completely protect yourself by removing yourself from ground zero before the storm hits. Property can be replaced, but you can’t be. BY WILL HAYNIE MAYOR OF MOUNT PLEASANT Mayor’s Message Hard Hurricane Lessons Mount Pleasant Mayor Will Haynie gives a storm emergency press conference.
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