Who has authority to order an evacuation — S.C. Code § 25-1-440

Evacuation authority in South Carolina rests with the Governor. S.C. Code Ann. § 25-1-440(a)(7) empowers the Governor, once a state of emergency is declared, to "direct and compel evacuation of all or part of the populace from any stricken or threatened area if this action is considered necessary for the preservation of life or other emergency mitigation, response, or recovery," and to "prescribe routes, modes of transportation, and destination in connection with evacuation" and control "ingress and egress at an emergency area." § 25-1-440(a)(2) provides that a declared state of emergency "shall not continue for a period of more than fifteen days without the consent of the General Assembly." § 25-1-430(b) defines "Emergency" to include "flood, storm. or other public calamity." The SC Hurricane Plan Base Plan (Appendix 1, August 2026 edition) states: "In conjunction with the Counties and SERT, an evacuation may be recommended to the Governor," and "The recommendation for an evacuation is determined by storm track, intensity, and forecasted storm surge." Checked 2026-09-04.