‘Wait and see’: Evacuees hunker down in North Myrtle Beach shelter before Hurricane Dorian
After five days in Myrtle Beach on a mission to find a place to retire, Washington, D.C. area woman Dora Corso found herself in an evacuation shelter as Hurricane Dorian threatens the Carolinas.
She took a Greyhound bus to Myrtle Beach from Asheville, North Carolina, where she was visiting her family. And when the South Carolina governor declared an evacuation for Zone A in Horry County, Corso was forced to leave a Myrtle Beach resort and come to the Red Cross shelter at North Myrtle Beach High.
“It’s an experience I thought I would never have — I always saw it on TV,” Corso said Wednesday afternoon after being at the shelter two nights. “I am very grateful to the Red Cross for helping me out because I don’t have a place to go.”
As far as plans after the storm, she said: “I’ll just wait and see what happens.”
As of Wednesday evening, at least 88 people were registered to stay at North Myrtle Beach High, said Diana Dalager, Red Cross shelter supervisor.
“Ideally, we are hoping that the hurricane pretty much passes us by and people can start going home tomorrow night,” Dalager said. “But as long as we have clients in our shelter, we will be open.”
She said the overall attitude at the shelter is calm.
“I think, unfortunately, people are getting used to [hurricanes],” Dalager said. “Our goal is trying to make everybody as comfortable as possible.”
Hallways of the high school were lined with cots, both empty and draped with blankets.
Little River resident Vallery Black recalls her last time staying at the shelter — 30 years ago when Hurricane Hugo slammed the area. She decided to stay at the shelter this year after seeing what Hurricane Dorian did to the Bahamas when it was at a Category 5.
“This storm killed a lot of people in the Bahamas, and I’m not ready to go,” Black said. “I’m hoping it’ll pass us by.”
More people are expected to trickle into the shelter through the evening, Dalager said, adding the Red Cross team is ready and the shelter is fully stocked with supplies.
The North Myrtle High shelter is at 3750 Sea Mountain Highway in Little River. Other area shelters are located at Conway High School, Aynor Middle School and Loris High School.
This story was originally published September 4, 2019 at 5:42 PM.
