ADVANCING THE FIELD OF HEALTHCARE.

After chest pain and shortness of breath began making peanut farming difficult for Terry, he was diagnosed with ischemic cardiomyopathy. His heart was functioning at half capacity and was deemed too diseased for a bypass.

Terry was referred to Dr. Papoy, a cardiothoracic surgeon at St. Joseph’s/Candler. Specially trained to perform coronary endarterectomies, Dr. Papoy was able to remove the diseased part of the coronary artery and reconstruct it. A rapid recovery after the operation was made possible by the Impella 5.5 heart pump. Terry’s heart is now fully working. And to his delight, so is he.

“The St. Joseph’s/Candler team not only saved my life, they allowed me to get back to work and spend quality time traveling with my wife and being with my grandkids.” – Terry Reese

“THAT’S WHY I CHOOSE ST.

– Andrew Papoy, M.D. – Cardiothoracic Surgeon

By Gwyneth J. Saunders CONTRIBUTOR

We are officially in hurricane season – that seasonal period when weather forecasters begin citing storm odds, stare across the Atlantic Ocean at the smallest wave to roll off the coast of West Africa, and call upon every international atmospheric model to try to predict exactly the when, where and size of the first storm.

They will be on close watch for the next six months. Hurricane season started June 1 and will last through Nov. 30.

While forecasters are rolling up their sleeves and producing colorful spaghetti graphs, what the general coastal population should be doing is preparing for rough weather, possible evacuation, and other challenges if a hurricane hits near Beaufort County.

If one should hit close to us, no matter what the category or storm level of the cyclone, there will be damages. Hurricane Matthew, a Category 2 upon landing, still cost money nine months after racking up $34.5 million in clean-up costs. Dorian in 2019 raged across the Bahamas as a Category 5 but was a category 1 by the time it reached the East Coast. Damage locally was limited to downed trees, scattered branches, leaves and pine straw, and minor damages to structures like screenedin pools. Our neighbors up the coast in North Carolina were not so lucky since the storm – even as a Cat. 1 – sent a 4- to 7-foot storm surge across Ocracoke Island, sending residents scurrying to their attics. The eye clipped Cape Lookout, and there were reports of 5 to 10 inches of rain along the coast.

What are the predictions for 2023’s season? The National Weather Service – the federal forecasting folks – are predicting a

“near-normal” season, with 12-17 named storms, and five to nine hurricanes – one to four of which will be major events.

Though hurricane season lasts until Nov. 30, with the most active months for the Lowcountry historically August, September and October. That doesn’t mean a storm won’t come cruising across the Atlantic before then, so it’s best to be prepared long before you need to.

The South Carolina Hurricane Guide 2023 is available online in English and Spanish and can be downloaded at townofbluffton.sc.gov/656/Hurricane-Season.

A list of tips is included in this newspaper, but some of them can’t be repeated often enough.

The first recommendation is to get flood insurance. You have to have the policy at least 30 days before you can file a claim, and we don’t exactly live in the mountains. Most of the county is barely above sea level.

The second-best tip is to keep your gas tank full. You don’t want to be caught offguard coming out of work or leaving the hairdresser’s knowing you need to get gas –only to learn the governor just announced there would be a mandatory evacuation order within 24 hours. Those gas lines get long.

This leads to the third top tip: Leave before you have to leave. When the governor advises that residents have X number of hours until evacuation is mandatory, you have all of that advance time to leave along the route of your choice.

It may be crowded initially, but the traffic flows. Everyone is just trying to get to safety where they have family, friends or a hotel reservation made in advance. And take your pets into account when you make those reservations.

One of the lessons learned following Hurricane Matthew in 2016 was confusion in communicating the message from all of the local municipal and emergency management agencies, particularly when it came to returning. Matthew hit the area so hard – particularly Hilton Head Island – that portions of the island were impassable and dangerous. That didn’t stop friends who hadn’t left from saying their area was clear. That told their neighbors that it should be OK to return home, right? Wrong.

Some residents managed to sneak into various developments. The bulk of those who sought to get back before officials ensured the area was safe spent 24-36 hours on US 278 and other arteries waiting for highway patrol and local law enforcement agencies to give them the all-clear.