WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The US state of South Carolina has been placed under a state of emergency due to Hurricane Irma, Governor Henry McMaster said in a press release on Wednesday.
"[Effective] at noon, September 6, 2017, I hereby declare that a State of Emergency exists in South Carolina," the release said. "I direct that the South Carolina Emergency Operations Plan be placed into effect."
The governor added all necessary preparations should be taken by residents, local and state authorities to prepare for potentially devastating Hurricane Irma.
Hurricane Irma is already the strongest hurricane ever recorded outside the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, and it is likely to make landfall somewhere in Florida later this week, according to forecasts. On Tuesday, President Donald Trump declared states of emergency in Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Irma.
