Dorchester County Emergency Management Department

06/05/2026

06/04/2026

Good Morning Everyone,

What could possibly make the Hurricane Expo and Family Fun day more exciting?!?!? A helicopter...the answer is definitely a helicopter!

The LZ has been clear for landing! MUSC Health is landing their helicopter at Ashley River Park, giving families a chance to see it up close as part of our Touch-a-Truck experience.

Kids can explore emergency vehicles, meet first responders, check out the helicopter, and enjoy a day full of family fun with inflatables, train rides, face painting, balloon art, and more.

While the kids are having fun, parents can learn valuable hurricane preparedness tips from local emergency experts to help keep their families safe this hurricane season.

📍 Ashley River Park
📅 Saturday, June 6
⏰ 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Mr. Hurricane and I hope to see you there!

06/03/2026

Maybe if all of Dorchester County attends the Hurricane Expo, hurricanes will be too scared of us to form this year 🧐

06/01/2026

Today is the start of Atlantic hurricane season... please read that in an unenthusiastic voice! For the second half of the year (June 1st - November 30th), y'all have to deal with me telling you to buy beef jerky for your emergency kit and talk to your family about your evacuation zone.

EXCITING STUFF!

Below is the list of names that will be used this year. There is a name on this list that is near and dear to my heart... so hopefully that storm behaves whenever it ends up forming. If you share a name with one of this year's storms, make sure to have a heart-to-heart with the atmosphere so it stays out to sea!

The good news...there is currently no tropical activity forecast in the Atlantic over the next 7 days. This gives you plenty of time to talk to your family about creating an emergency plan and building an emergency kit!

Confused about what all of that means?!?!? Come on down to the Dorchester County Hurricane Expo and Family Fun Day this Saturday, 6/6, at Ashley River Park from 10 AM - 1 PM to meet tons of local organizations (including US National Weather Service Charleston SC) and learn all things hurricane preparedness! I mean, we have a helicopter landing during the event this year... ya have to come!

Event Link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1Bheu4TLJE/

Our first comment-section prompt of the new year... If you could get rid of hurricane season and replace it with a different “season” of your choice, what would you choose?

Have a great start to your week!

05/28/2026

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING THE HURRICANE EXPO!

We are partnering with Dorchester County Fire Rescue to host a BBQ fundraiser and boot drive for Battalion Chief Chastity Bigney as she continues her battle against cancer.

Without hesitation, Chief Bigney always assisted DCEMD with any projects or initiatives requiring DCFR support, so we are really hoping this fundraiser is a huge success!

I have tasted DCFR’s BBQ before, and let me tell ya…it might just be the best BBQ in Ashley River Park. So, come on down to the Dorchester County Hurricane Expo and Family Fun Day on Saturday, June 6, from 10 AM–1 PM at Ashley River Park and give it a taste to support a wonderful cause.

We appreciate your generosity and hope to see you there!

Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/share/1L3Qcq1K4i/

05/21/2026

NOAA just released their 2026 Atlantic Hurricane Season Outlook. Again, these are great reads and give a good idea of what to expect during the upcoming season, but it only takes 1 storm impacting the Lowcountry to make it an active season!

Speaking of hurricanes...the first hurricane of the year will be making landfall in Summerville tonight at Third Thursday. Luckily, this is a friendly hurricane that will be happy to talk to you about anything hurricane preparedness and the upcoming Hurricane Expo and Family Fun Day on June 6th! Hope to see you there!

Hurricane Expo Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/share/18pp1W631r/

05/18/2026

Hurricane Season forecasts are calling for a below average / average hurricane season this year. Though they are interesting reads, let me show ya why these forecasts shouldn’t matter too much when it comes to hurricane preparedness.

2020 was the most active season on record, in terms of number of storms. That year, there were 30 tropical storms, 14 hurricanes, and 7 major hurricanes!

1989 was a below average hurricane season. That year, there were 11 tropical storms, 7 hurricanes, and 2 major hurricanes!

If you know anything about 1989 in the Lowcountry you know that 1989 was a VERY active hurricane season even though the statistics might tell another story. Yep, Hurricane Hugo made landfall in the Lowcountry in September of 1989.

The record 2020 hurricane season basically had 0 impacts in SC...meaning a below average hurricane season was far worse than the record hurricane season.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk...now go talk to your family about hurricane preparedness and build an emergency kit!

05/12/2026

Understanding tropical weather terminology can feel like learning a new language at times...especially if this is your first hurricane season (welcome to the Lowcountry)!

Our posts throughout Hurricane Season are INCREDIBLY engaging and will hopefully make everything easy to understand, but just incase you do not agree with that statement (you are wrong ☺️), here is a handy dandy list of tropical weather terminology for you to study.

NOAA NWS National Hurricane Center and US National Weather Service Charleston SC are great resources to follow and will utilize these terms any time a storm is brewing (which is hopefully never).

The test is tomorrow, so get to studying. Have a great rest of your day.

05/08/2026

Just under 1 month until the Dorchester County Hurricane Expo and Family Fun Day!

Come on down to Ashley River Park on 6/6/26 (almost spooky) to learn tons of great information about hurricanes!

You can literally ask two enthusiastic US National Weather Service Charleston SC meteorologists whatever questions you may have...incredible!

I asked them what their favorite hurricane preparedness event in the Lowcountry is and they said the Dorchester County Hurricane Expo (I'm kidding but its probably true)!

Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/share/18dsWGMDVL/

Oh...and it is Hurricane Preparedness Month, so here is a fun fact! Dorchester County can be impacted by the following hurricane hazards:

◽️Wind
◽️Inland Flooding
◽️Storm Surge
◽️Tornadoes

Now that's a lot of hazards and the reason why hurricane preparedness is so important! Hope to see you at the expo!

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