Hurricane Dorian: Closings in Sumter, Clarendon for Wednesday, Sept. 4

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As schools, businesses, local governments, hospitals and other groups prepare for Hurricane Dorian's arrival Wednesday and Thursday, Sumter, Clarendon and counties throughout the eastern half of South Carolina are closing their doors.

Following is a list of closings that will be updated regularly as more information comes in. If you have a closing you’d like us to announce, email pressrelease@theitem.com.

UPDATED WEDNESDAY

The offices of the City of Sumter and Sumter County Government will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 5 and plan to resume normal business hours on Friday.

For City of Sumter customers, residential and commercial garbage service and recycling for Thursday pick-up will be delayed until Saturday, Sept. 7. Yard debris pick-up will be delayed until your normal schedule resumes.
Sumter County Recreation & Parks will hold practice Wednesday, Sept. 4 with Thursday practice canceled. All City of Sumter parks will be closed on Thursday, as well.

All Tandem Health offices will be closed Thursday, Sept. 5.

USC Sumter will be closed on Thursday and plans to reopen on Friday.

Clarendon County Disabilities and Special Needs Board's  Day Program will be closed Thursday, Sept. 5. They will resume normal operations on Friday, Sept, 6. Community routes will not run tomorrow, but they will resume on Friday, Sept. 6. CCDSNB asks that individuals be patient with the route drivers because they may be running a little behind schedule.

The City of Manning’s government offices will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 5. With the weather permitting, city officials anticipate the offices will re-open on Friday, Sept. 6. 

The Summerton Town Hall and Summerton Police Department will be operating on normal business hours today. Town Hall and the SPD will be closed Thursday. SPD officers will be on duty around the clock. Please call 911 if you have an emergency. If you have a water emergency and the office is closed, please call (803) 460-2025.

The Town of Turbeville’s government offices will be open normal business hours today and closed on Thursday. Town officials will re-open offices on Friday with weather permitting.

The Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce's Partners in Education Breakfast scheduled for Thursday will not happen. The Chamber says it is working with Sumter School District to determine a new date.

Central Carolina Technical College will close all campuses on Thursday.

Clarendon County Administrative Offices will be open Wednesday, operating on normal hours. Offices will be closed Thursday.

All Sumter School District schools and offices will be closed Thursday, Sept. 5. As a precautionary measure, all after-school activities are canceled for Wednesday, Sept. 4. The district is planning to resume normal operations on Friday.

Lee County School District will be closed on Thursday. All extracurricular activities (after-school programs and athletic events) are canceled for Wednesday and Thursday.

The Harvin Clarendon County Library in Manning and the Bookmobile will be closed beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday and will reopen when conditions have improved. Check their website for access to digital items to check out from home with a library card.

Claflin is closed through Friday.

SCHOOLS

The University of South Carolina plans to remain open this week, and classes will meet as scheduled. Any updates will be posted at www.sc.edu/weather, on social media and Carolina Alert. Normal campus services will remain available.

Morris College classes are suspended Thursday. Staff is expected to report Thursday. Residence hall directors will provide students with information regarding procedures during the inclement weather. Contact Dr. Davis-Freeman, Dean of Student Affairs, at (803) 934-3217 or morriscollegepr@gmail.com for more information.

Wilson Hall will be closed Thursday.

Clarendon Hall will remain closed Thursday.

Laurence Manning Academy will remain closed Thursday.

Clarendon County School District 1 schools will be closed Thursday. Clarendon County School District 2 schools will be closed Thursday. Clarendon County School District 3 schools will be closed Thursday.

Francis Marion University classes are canceled through the duration of the hurricane. Classes will resume dependent on the storm's impact, and notification will be provided through email, FMU website and Swamp Fox Alert System.

Saint Leo University's Sumter and Shaw education centers will not have class Thursday.

GOVERNMENT

The Clarendon County Council on Aging, 206, S. Church St., Manning, will be closed Thursday.

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE

Shaw Air Force Base is at HURCON 2, which means the base is expecting destructive winds within 24 hours. Hurricane preparation conditions start at HURCON 5 and go through HURCON 1 before moving to HURCON 1C, which means take caution because winds of 40-57 mph are occurring. Then, there would be HURCON 1E, which means emergency because 58 mph sustained winds or 69 mph gusts or greater are occurring. HURCON 1R means recovery.

The 20th Fighter Wing's F-16s evacuated Wednesday morning to avoid possible damage from the storm.

There are currently no plans to evacuate personnel from Shaw, but the base will transition to having only mission-essential personnel on duty. Speak with your supervisor with any questions regarding work hours.

Thursday, most base services will be closed.

According to the base's website, several areas of Shaw have the potential for flooding during heavy rainfall:

- The inbound lane of Shaw Drive at the roundabout at Friendship Chapel;

- The area between the library and main fitness center, flooding out into Shaw Drive and covering the street to the dorm resident parking lot; and

- The north end of the flight line on Sweeney Road.

The AFCENT pre-deployment brief scheduled for Sept. 4-5 has been canceled. For questions, contact Senior Master Sgt. Misty Moreno.

HEALTH AND BUSINESS

McLeod Health is offering free TeleHealth visits for convenience and safety during and after the storm. Now through Sept. 15, residents can use McLeod TeleHealth for free by entering the coupon code "DORIAN." McLeod TeleHealth allows people to visit a doctor online 24/7 anytime, from anywhere. No appointment is necessary, and visits are private and secure. Sign up for free by downloading the McLeod TeleHealth app in the App Store or Google Play or visit www.McLeodTeleHealth.org.

South State Bank customers who are impacted by mandatory evacuations will have their ATM fees refunded if they use another bank's ATM through the time the evacuations orders are in place. The South-rooted bank recommends having cash on-hand in case of power outages as a result of the storm. The bank currently lists closures in the Beaufort, Charleston and Grand Strand regions in South Carolina and Savannah region in Georgia. For a complete and updated list, go to www.southstatebank.com/hurricane-update/#closures.