Local law enforcement will monitor traffic as Hurricane Matthew sends evacuations toward Aiken County

Oct. 06--Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt spoke at press conference Wednesday afternoon at the Aiken County Government Center, where he outlined the current plan for local law enforcement as Hurricane Matthew sends people evacuating the coast to the Midlands.

The Sheriff's Office will be working side-by-side with the Aiken Department of Public Safety and the North Augusta Department of Public Safety to insure the county's safety as people from the coast and others from out of state evacuate to Aiken County.

The primary shelter will be South Aiken High School, which was opened to people from the coastal region at 3 p.m. Wednesday, said Bruce Butler with the American Red Cross of Aiken during Wednesday's press conference.

If South Aiken High fills up, other area schools and buildings will be opened as needed, Butler said.

Jake Mahoney with Aiken Public Safety said the department will provide 24-hour security for those staying at South Aiken, along with any other emergency shelters that may open in Aiken.

"We will also be at three monitoring points to make sure traffic flow remains open," Mahoney said.

Hunt said there will be established traffic control points used to direct the incoming traffic into Aiken.

"S.C. 39, U.S. 78, U.S. 278 and S.C. 125 will lead you to Aiken," Hunt said. "Those roads will have priority. We will man these traffic control points with help from South Carolina Highway Patrol."

Hunt also reminded residents of the statewide burn ban, which was put in place due to the possibility of strong winds.

Law enforcement are working with a current safety plan, but that plan could change at any time, Hunt said.

In the case a collision occurs or someone needs help on the roadways, call S.C. Highway Patrol at *HP (*47).

For information on where to find local shelters, call Aiken Emergency Management at 803-642-1623.

The Aiken County Sheriff's Office can be reached at 803-642-1761; the Aiken Department of Public Safety can be reached at 803-642-7620; and the North Augusta Department of Public Safety can be reached at 803-441-4251.

Tripp Girardeau is the crime and courts reporter with the Aiken Standard. Follow him on Twitter at @trippgirardeau.

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