FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joel Sawyer
803-734-2100
[email protected]

Columbia, S.C. - May 25, 2006 - Governor Mark Sanford and state emergency preparedness and response personnel will travel to Horry, Charleston and Beaufort counties tomorrow (May 26, 2006) to join local emergency planners to discuss South
Carolina's preparedness as we head into the 2006 storm season that begins June 1.

Last week, the governor held his yearly meeting with state officials and other stakeholders to discuss plans, preparations and procedures for the upcoming hurricane season, as forecasters are already predicting an active storm season along the Atlantic seaboard. Following Hurricane Katrina, the governor asked the S.C. Emergency Management Division to undertake a thorough review of the state's hurricane plans, and as a result the governor made additional requests to budget writers this year for more resources for hurricane preparedness.

On Friday, the Governor along with state and local officials will hold news conferences in the following locations to discuss the state's preparedness: 

9:45 a.m. - Grand Strand
M.L. Brown, Jr. Public Safety Facility, County Council Chambers, 2560 Main Street, Conway

11:45 a.m. - Charleston
Lonnie Hamilton III Public Safety Building, 4045 Bridge View Drive, North Charleston
1:30 p.m. - Beaufort Law Enforcement Center, Emergency Operations Center, 2001 Duke Street, 2nd Floor, Beaufort

For more information or directions from your location, please contact Joel Sawyer in
the Governor's Office at 803-734-2100. 

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