It seemed like any ordinary day in Charleston, South Carolina on Tuesday, as a group of tourists from Georgia participated in a walking tour of the historic city.
However, earlier in the day, Gov. Henry McMaster ordered coastal residents to evacuate ahead of Category 4 Hurricane Florence.
“I know we look like a bunch of idiots touring, when we’re supposed to be evacuating,” jokes tourist Sharon.
As soon as tour ends, the Georgia group will be among the 1 million people along coastal North and South Carolina being forced to evacuate.
Interstate 26 became an evacuation route, with eastbound lanes becoming westbound lanes in order to evacuate help residents flee faster.
But as many people prepare for leaving, some workers like professional handyman Michael Denikos will stay.
Denikos has been fielding call after call from homeowners and businesses that need help boarding their building up. He says he’s receiving so much business that he had to turn some offers down.
“If you make the right preparations, you’ll never have a problem,” says Denikos. “But, if you don’t prepare and wait [until] the last minute, then you’re taking chance something may fail on your home.”
A few blocks away, crews worked to secure a local Wells Fargo Bank.
“We got about 200 sandbags on site, 2000 sq. ft. of plastic,” says one of the workers. “Before we go home tonight, we’ll sandbag every entrance and door just in case the tide gets very high.”
The dangerous storm is expected to make its way into the Carolinas late Thursday into Friday.
