Emergency Management Notifications & Updates

All models show Winter Storm Grayson has moved east of Lexington County, dropping very little snow in the immediate area; however, areas in surrounding counties were more heavily impacted and continue to receive snowfall.  Please, travel safely.

Public Safety senior staff just concluded a conference call with Lexington County Emergency Management and various agencies within Lexington County regarding Winter Storm Grayson.

The conditions are essentially remaining the same.  The road temperatures vary but are currently sitting at 32 degrees for the most part.  The snowfall is expected to be a powdery mix, with little to no sleet/ice.  Snow has already been seen in various areas of Lexington County and it is expected to fall for approximately 2 hours with minimal accumulation, approximately one (1) to two (2) inches.

The next conference call will be conducted at 5:30 PM.  During this meeting, its expected the school districts will also make decisions on Thursday’s school hours.

Winter Storm Grayson is moving its way northward, through South Carolina.

Some weather models suggest that our area may receive some light snow this afternoon and into the early evening hours.  At this time, there are no concerns regarding deteriorating roadway conditions; however, much like rain, caution should be used while driving.

Currently, half an inch to one (1) inch of snow is possible within the Midlands area. Expect that accumulations may linger until Thursday morning, as temperatures are expected to be sub-freezing before sunrise.  As the sun rises, the higher temperatures are expected to melt away any snow and ice accumulation.

We ask all staff to take appropriate precautions and arrive to work on time to ensure we are able to fulfill our patient care mission and maintain operations throughout the Health District.

We will continue to monitor this weather pattern and provide necessary updates.

Great News!  Lexington Medical Center made it through the storm with limited to no impact on infrastructure or patient care.  As of this morning, we have deactivated Incident Command and have returned to normal operation.

Throughout the weekend, Hurricane Irma made landfall on two (2) different occasions in Florida.  She has traveled northwest toward the southeast, and throughout today is expected to drop a large amount of rain on SC.  She is a Category 1 hurricane, with 75 mph sustained winds, and is expected to decrease in strength as she pushes northwest.  We should expect heavy rain, winds, odd events of hail and possible tornados.

As of 10:58 AM, the track has made a slight change.  Iram will still make landfall in the Keys and make a northwest shift in Georgia.  However, while favorable, this current forecast doesn’t mean SC isn’t out of the woods.  Ensure your staff remains prepared for heavy rains, winds, and localized flooding.

As of 7:40 AM, Hurricane Irma has weakened to a Category 4 hurricane.  Current storm track predictions have her making landfall sometime early morning hours Sunday, September 10, in the Florida Keys.  It’s projected to continue up the center of the Florida peninsula and make a westerly track toward mid-Georgia.  The “cone of uncertainty” still shows a probability that South Carolina will experience tropical storm weather, wind gusts of 39 to 73 mph.

We still encourage all LMC staff to continue to prepare for this storm.

We will continue sending you updates as we receive them.

Administrative leadership met today at 4:00 PM to discuss Hurricane Irma and the impact she will have on our facility.

What We Know

Hurricane Irma remains a strong Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds a 175 mph, moving WNW at 16 mph.  The current track predicts a direct impact on South Florida and continuing up the peninsula, through Georgia and into South Carolina.  We will continue to monitor the track of the storm and provide updates.

Precautions Taken

• Our facility has been stocked with all necessary resources.
• Incident Command has been established.  This will allow our facility to communicate immediate resources through regional, local and state entities.
• We’ve been assured by Brasfield & Gorre that the tower cranes will be able to hold during the storm.  These cranes are able to outlast wind gust up to 90 mph.  You may notice the cranes turning in the wind.  This normal for these devices as the clutch has been released to prevent unnecessary wind drag.

We will continue passing along updates as we receive them.

Please see the below for information regarding Hurricane Irma.

What we know:

Hurricane Irma is a strong category 5 hurricane, with 185 MPH sustained winds.  As of this afternoon, several models used to predict a hurricane track is predicting landfall at or near Beaufort, SC in the morning hours of Monday, September 11, 2017.  With this information, Governor McMaster has declared a State of Emergency for South Carolina.  This declaration allows SC emergency response teams to begin organizing response efforts.  At this time there has not been an evacuation declaration made for any coastal area of South Carolina.

What we should be doing:

Staffing: 

• Directors should identify essential personnel to ensure their areas of responsibility are adequately staffed for continued operation.  It should be noted that essential staff may need to be housed at the facility on Sunday, as traveling conditions may deteriorate.
• Staff should be encouraged to begin preparations for their families.

Supplies:

• Supply vendors should be contacted to refresh current supplies and be placed on standby for additional resource needs.
• Any necessary Memorandum of Understandings and Mutual Aid Agreements need to be reviewed for possible activation.
• Necessary supplies from Warehouse, e.g. water, cots, etc., should be staged at the main campus.

Surge:

• It is unlikely that the Midlands will be placed under an evacuation order; however, there is a strong possibility that we will receive patients from the coast, in the event that Hurricane Irma continues to follow the current projections.
• Review their surge plans and/or consider curtailing services.
• Bed tracking information should be uploaded to SC SMARTT daily at 7 am.

We will continue to monitor and provide daily updates.

Current Hospital Status:  Business as usual.  All staff is expected to report to work.

Good News! The National Weather Service has updated their weekend weather forecast that suggests snowfall in/around the Midlands is becoming less and less likely.  While bitter cold and snow flurries are still a possibility, the ground temperature should make accumulation unlikely.

Please understand and remind your coworkers that Lexington Medical Center is expecting all staff to prepare for “business as usual” this weekend.  We do not anticipate needing to activate Incident Command or an employee pickup service.  Please plan to show up for your shift as normal so we can meet our commitments to our patients and their families.  Arriving on time and ready to work will also prevent managers from requiring staff to stay beyond their normal shift as they await their coworkers’ arrival.

Now, for all Managers, Directors and other members of our leadership team, this event creates an opportunity to review our Inclement Weather Plan.  Please review the Director responsibilities “Before Inclement Weather Plan is Activated” and “Upon Activation”. This policy can also be found on Lex-Loop/Policies/Emergency Management/Inclement Weather Plan.  Additionally, it may also be helpful if you share this policy with your staff as it gives them specific information and directions.

We will continue to monitor the National Weather Service forecast and provide updates accordingly.  A Disaster Alert/Incident Command activation will be based on accumulation, future forecasts, and current & predicted road conditions.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.