Hurricane Season, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting higher-than-average activity with at least 3-6 major hurricanes.  Much like coronavirus has complicated everything else this year, it is very likely to complicate evacuations a variety of ways, including the availability of supplies.

Just as the association has for the past eight years, we partnered with the SC Department of Insurance and other industry leadership to mark the beginning of hurricane season and help consumers get a head start on disaster preparedness. We met outside the Home Depot in Bluffton on a Saturday morning in mid-June and handed out 200 free starter emergency kits.

Kits included a variety of important supplies: flashlights, batteries, first aid kit, weather radio, waterproof document folder and many other items including printed copies of the SC Dept of Insurance Storm Readiness Guide and SC Emergency Management Division 2020 Hurricane Guide. We informed them how important it was to have proper coverage in place right at the start of hurricane season!

We encourage you to also start reaching out to your clients and encourage them to make sure proper coverage is in place, complete a home inventory and update supplies as soon as possible. Remind them that once a storm is named and expected to impact an area, insurance companies declare a moratorium for new policies and coverage changes to existing policies. Request printed copies of the 2020 SCEMD Hurricane Guide in english and/or spanish to stock in your office and distribute to clients by emailing pio@emd.sc.gov.