Columbia, S.C. (Thursday, May 9, 2019) – Prior to the start of the 2019 Hurricane Season, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, in coordination with county emergency management officials, is updating the state’s emergency operational condition levels, or OPCONs. Now, agencies will coordinate, prepare and respond to major emergencies based on three levels of readiness instead of five.
The new levels are designed to simplify the steps agencies take in order to fully activate emergency resources. The three OPCONs and their definitions are more compatible with the majority of state and federal emergency management organizations nationwide, making the state’s processes and procedures easier to understand for teams deploying into South Carolina during a disaster.
The OPCONs and their definitions are now as follows:
