Yes, we'll do that.

All right, guys.

Y'all can just sit tight for a moment.

Um, we're having some issues getting up the live stream.

I went ahead and put it up.

We're um we're on YouTube right now.

I can see it.

Okay, you got it going.

Okay, thank you, Philip.

All right, I think we're ready to begin.

All right.

Uh thanks everybody for joining.

I'd like to call this uh emergency meeting of Charleston City Council uh to order.

Madam Clerk, would you please call the roll?

Councilmember Brad.

Here Councilmember Seely.

Here.

Councilmember McBride.

Councilmember Mitchell.

Councilmember Brady.

Present.

Councilmember Gregory.

Councilmember Waring.

Councilmember Seekings.

Councilmember Tinkler.

Here.

Councilmember Balden.

Here.

Councilmember Appel.

Here.

Councilmember Parker.

Here.

Mayor Cogswell.

Here.

Um I'd like to have just a moment of silence.

Okay.

Uh now I'd like to call on Chief Mike Jalazida to give us a brief update on storm preparations and where things stand with this formation, whatever you want to call it, um out in the Atlantic.

So, Chief Jelazida, hand it over to you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh, Mayor and Council, good morning.

Thank you for the opportunity to give you a quick briefing.

I do have uh EM specialist Daniel Fluss is here as well as our emergency management team who've been working to monitor the situation.

I'd like to start out first with uh Daniel providing a quick overview of the weather scenario uh from the latest information we have from the weather service.

You have one moment to share the screen here.

All right, just verifying you see a graphic of the uh ocean right now.

Yes, I can see it.

Right.

Daniel.

Good morning.

So as you look at this map, we're not concerned about Umberto or Gabriel.

We're concerned about the blob that's uh to the east of Cuba.

Uh we're calling it Disturbance 94L.

If it becomes a hurricane, it's uh, or I'm sorry, uh a tropical storm eventually or hurricane, it will be called Emelda.

The Weather Service, National Weather Service Charleston has presented us with three potential scenarios.

Uh none more likely than the other, except that now with scenario three, they're they're discounting that.

So scenario one uh would have it uh impact anywhere from say Savannah up to the South Carolina-North Carolina border.

Scenario two uh would have it head toward us, still have some impacts, possibly even um uh uh uh stall for a bit and then veer off to the right.

A lot of uncertainty though.

That that's uh a key word we need to be thinking about.

So some key forecast points before this uh before future amelda even comes to our area.

We're gonna have some rainfall tomorrow.

Right now, forecast of a half inch to an inch and a half with an outlier potential of two to three inches.

Uh again, uncertainty over 94Ls, uh track intensity and impacts.

We may get some clarity later today.

If we do, uh, you may begin to see uh these forecasts on the National Hurricane Center.

No guarantee that we'll get clarity later today, but uh that's the hope.

Terms of how the city is preparing.

Um stormwater has deployed its pumps, police have been out uh verifying that their uh barricades are deployed.

Fire is readying its high water vehicles, our communications people are preparing public messaging for the storm.

Livability and tourism has been in touch with the carriage industry and public works has been working on a sandbag plan.

Uh if I could just add one other component here, we have also ordered that uh all the lakes be lowered, including Lake Dodder.

Uh I know Councilman Chewing, you've reached out on that.

Yes, sir.

Thank you.

And then finally, uh just some reminders for us all.

City staff, citizens and visitors need to prepare now.

Uncertainty doesn't mean don't prepare.

We need to um uh think about emergency kits.

Think about um uh things that we might find in our hurricane guides uh on the Charleston County, Berkeley County, South Carolina websites, and then also know your zones.

For example, the city um downtown, we're in zone B.

West Ashley is zone C.

So we need to be familiar with our zones in case we have to evacuate.

All right.

Well, thank you, Daniel.

And again, even though this is not formed yet, we are treating it as if we're expecting some kind of impact.

And that's critical that uh we don't want to downplay the scenario.

We want everybody to begin to prepare, utilize a weekend to get your families ready, review these emergency guides, and uh make sure you're ready in case this does have some type of impact to our area.

We likely will not know more until late today.

And uh, we're hoping to get some more information after five o'clock for the weather service uh as well as in a prep call with Charleston County emergency management.

When will that call be achieved at five?

The uh Berkeley, I'm sorry, the Charleston County calls at five.

The Berkeley County call is at 6 p.m., I believe.

And then the city team will have its next leadership call at 6 30 this evening where we will uh share an update with what we learned.

Okay.

Councilman Seekings.

Thanks, Mr.

Mayor.

Um, hey Daniel, just really quick is one or Mike uh is one of the action plans should the storm ramp up and the rain come to open some parking garages as well.

Yes, sir, it is.

And we did not share every action item that we've accomplished so far.

We just kind of give you some highlights.

Uh but I believe there are three parking decks that have already been established for potential opening on Monday, and two others in reserve, depending on uh the nature and quantity of rain we're talking about.

And you'll just publish those when it becomes readily apparent they're gonna need them.

I'm sorry, one more time.

I said you'll just publish which garages and when it becomes time to announce that we need them.

Yes, sir.

So at that time, uh there will be a news release issued uh via city communications um out to the normal channels, but also published on the website.

Thank you.

Yeah, Deja's engaged our comms department's engaged with uh emergency management and Chief Jalazim on all this.

And uh we've already been sending out some notices, uh, just you know, know your zones, that sort of thing, getting people prepped for it.

We're we're we're certainly trying to be prepared.

Also don't want to jump the gun too much is you know, this is always a delicate balance, as y'all are well aware.

Um and uh and and but in light of the fact that the governor uh you know his announcement of a state of emergency, then you know we have to just obviously be be prepared.

Um the other just component is y'all have been reading the news as much as I have, but uh you know, we're gonna get a lot of rain this weekend before uh this disturbance uh form.

So you know that could soften the ground and and increase the probability of freeze coming down uh and the like.

So uh just watching it all very closely.

And I guess the next update for council, we can we'll we can maybe send out something this evening after we uh you know, after the two calls with uh the the counties would that work, uh Chief Jalazito?

Yeah yes, sir, not a problem.

Okay.

We'll just send that to everybody's uh city um uh email address.

Um anything else?

Any other questions from any other council members or any other comments from staff?

Uh councilman Sheely.

Yeah, thank you, Mr.

Mayor.

And um, you know, I've been in touch with people that live along Lake Dodder.

They're very concerned um about the lake levels and um the the lake levels did.

I did hear back that lake levels did go down last night.

I think some people were happy to see that.

It's not as low as they feel safe.

The people around Lake Daughter have flooded three times in the past, and but before I was actually on council, so it's been a while, but um, but they're certainly concerned about that, about the level on that on that lake and and anything we can do to keep that level dropping would be would be great.

So it only drops at low tide because it goes into Church Creek and the creek has to be has to be low.

So, but I appreciate anything we can do there.

So thank you.

Okay.

Uh anything else from anybody.

And then in that update, depending on where things stand, uh, we'll let you know when the following update would be um uh just to you know um put it on your radar, so to speak.

Um all right, guys.

Well, there's nothing else.

Uh this meeting is adjourned.

Thanks for everybody joining.