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More than 44,000 impacted by SC evacuations

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster ordered coastal residents to evacuate their homes starting Saturday morning.

McMaster said those in the barrier islands in Beaufort, Colleton and Jasper counties of South Carolina were told to leave by 10 a.m.

More than 44,400 people have been affected by the evacuations in the barrier islands of South Carolina

McMaster held a media briefing Saturday afternoon with emergency response officials to provide an update on the potential impact of Hurricane Irma.

More than 42,000 were forced to evacuate Hilton Head Island Saturday morning. Counties on the barrier islands impacted were Colleton, Jasper and Beaufort.

Those islands include Edisto Beach, Dafuskie, Fripp, Harbor, Hunting, Hilton Head Island, Knowles and Tullifiny.

McMaster said 1,349 National Guardsmen, 1,696 troopers and local law enforcement, 107 state guardsmen and 264 SLED, PPP, DNR agents are on duty.

McMaster said he signed a memorandum of understanding with Florida Gov. Rick Scott to provide assistance from South Carolina first responders, law enforcement, state fire and rescue teams and other agencies as needed.

Traffic along Interstate 95 and 26 is moving without significant congestion, McMaster said in his briefing.

Fuel is continuing to be delivered to stations from terminals in Charleston, Augusta and Belton.  Branded gas stations (Exxon, BP, etc.) are not experiencing shortages because they have contracts with the major oil companies, a press release from the governor’s office said.

Any order would correspond to lane reversals on several major highways, including Interstate 26 between Charleston and Columbia, meaning they would allow only out-bound traffic.

[CLICK HERE for latest updates on Hurricane Irma]

"Imagine this hurricane will be here in the morning and do what you need to do right away. It is coming," McMaster said in a news conference broadcast from the state's Emergency Management Division.

[McMaster declares state of emergency for SC ahead of Irma's arrival]

The state is prepared to open 200 shelters and transport 10,000 people by bus if needed, he said.

McMaster said the rest of the state can evacuate if they don't feel safe.

"If you can leave now, go ahead," he said. "A lot more people on the roads are going to slow things down."

Traffic on South Carolina's highways is already heavier than normal with residents fleeing Irma's projected path. Traffic on Interstate 95, which stretches up the East Coast from Florida, was up 40 percent on Wednesday, McMaster said.

McMaster urged drivers to follow evacuation signs posted along the highways, "no matter what they say on Google maps."

More Hurricane Irma coverage:

McMaster ordered 143 health care facilities along South Carolina's coast to evacuate their patients. That executive order signed Thursday afternoon required hospitals, nursing homes, hospice centers and other in-patient facilities in eight counties to immediately begin moving patients inland. Exceptions are allowed, but hospitals must cancel any previously scheduled elective surgeries and stop admitting any non-emergency patient.

McMaster also issued an order requiring owners of 2,370 public and private dams to lower their lake water levels. State workers have the authority to release the water if owners won't, he said.

That order is aimed at preventing a repeat of October 2015, when bursting and overflowing dams amid historic 24-inch rains worsened deadly flooding.

South Carolina officials watching Hurricane Irma's approach

Emergency officials in South Carolina are warning residents to remain alert as Hurricane Irma approaches.

[HURRICANE IRMA: Live Updates]

Forecasts early Friday showed the storm likely to head north through Florida and into Georgia and Tennessee. But Derrec Becker with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said the path is too uncertain for people to relax.

Becker said Friday morning it is important for South Carolinians to review emergency plans and to prepare for high winds and heavy rains.

He noted South Carolina is still recovering from Hurricane Matthew last year and massive flooding in 2015.

Places in South Carolina for evacuees

Along with evacuees from South Carolina, McMaster announced the state is preparing shelters to receive evacuees from Florida and Georgia.
Here is a list of open shelters:  Colleton County: Colleton Middle School, 1379 Tuskegee Airmen Drive in Walterboro. Jasper County: Ridgeland High Junior and Elementary School, 250 Jaguar Trail in Ridgeland;

Richland: Dent Middle School, 2721 Decker Boulevard, in Columbia. Beaufort County: Bluffton High School, 12 H.C. McCracken Circle, in Bluffton; Battery Creek High, 1 Blue Dolphin Drive, in Beaufort.

Shelters on standby: Allendale: Fairfax Elementary School, 734 East 14th Street, in Fairfax; Allendale Elementary School, 4561 Allendale-Fairfax Highway, in Allendale; Charleston: North Charleston High School, 1087 East Montague Avenue, in North Charleston; Stall High School, 3625 Ashley Phosphate Road, in North Charleston. Dorchester: Oakbrook Middle School, 286 Old Fort Drive, in Ladson; Fort Dorchester High, 8500 Patriot Boulevard, in North Charleston; Dubose Middle, 1005 Dubose School Road, in Summerville. Hampton: Hampton Elementary School, 505 South Hoover Street, in Hampton;

Estill High School, 1450 Columbia Highway North, in Estill; Orangeburg: Bethune Bowman Middle/High School, 4857 Charleston Highway, in Rowesville; Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School, 601 Bruin Parkway, in Orangeburg. Williamsburg: Kingstree Senior High (East Campus), 615 MLK Jr. Avenue, in Kingstree.

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