Updates from Heather's Mission President on Hurricane Florence 

 Message from Saturday 9/15/18
 
We are thankful to report that the weather has been much better then we could have every hoped for. Unfortunately for North Carolina, much of the storm went north and largely spared a lot of South Carolina.
There has most likely been some significant damage to the northeastern part of our state, but overall it is has been a much better outcome than anyone thought.
All the missionaries have been contacted and accounted for today. There were a few who were without power for awhile, but everyone is fine and in good condition.

We are still experiencing some wind and rain and that will continue through much of the day tomorrow as it is a very slow moving storm. We do expect to see some flooding from some of the rivers that flow from North Carolina to South Carolina, so that could cause additional problems in the coming weeks. We will continue to watch that situation very carefully too.
With the exception of the Greenville area, church has been cancelled for the rest of the state. We will all stay in another day until the state and the priesthood leaders agree that it is safe to send the missionaries back to their areas. We will let you know when that happens.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. We firmly believe that God has blessed and protected us throughout this situation.

Message from Friday 9/14/18

Dear SCCM Parents,
With the weekend upon us, our mission office is closed so for the remainder of the weekend we will give you storm updates on Facebook only.
This is the latest information we have on Hurricane Florence as of 6:00 pm Friday. It made landfall in the southeast corner of North Carolina Friday morning, then stalled as it slowly made its way in a southeast direction toward Myrtle Beach. It is now a tropical storm with sustained winds of around 70 mph. Most of the damage will be in the Myrtle Beach and Conway areas. Because of its slow speed, we expect a lot of rain to fall throughout all of South Carolina. All our missionaries have been evacuated from high risk areas, but I want to give you an idea of what your missionary will be experiencing as the storm passes. Here are the cities where we still have missionaries.

CITY WORST DAYS WIND RAIN TOTALS
Sumter Sat – Sun 40 – 50 mph
8-15 inches
Hartsville Sat – Sun 35 – 45 mph 8-15 inches
Camden Sat – Sun 30 – 40 mph 5-8 inches
Columbia Sat – Sun 25 – 35 mph 3-8 inches
Newberry Sat – Sun 25 – 35 mph 3-8 inches
Orangeburg Sat – Sun 25 – 35 mph 3-8 inches
Greenville Sun – Mon 15 – 25 mph 2-4 inches
Spartanburg Sun – Mon 15 – 25 mph 2-4 inches
The storm looks like it will be less intense than what we planned for, so we want to assure you that all our missionaries are safe. We know there will be lots of flooding and some power outages in many areas, but nothing we haven’t prepared for. Everyone is safely “locked down” in their apartments or with members for the remainder of the storm. We will be communicating with them twice a day via texting. Each one has members close by and a good Bishop looking out for them. We will continue to update you regularly via Facebook as the storm passes through our state. We have felt your prayers and those of the Brethren as well as Church members worldwide. We know that once this passes, we will have even more opportunities to teach the gospel to the wonderful people of South Carolina. We are happy to be part of Heavenly Father’s plan to hasten his work.
Thanks for your love and support. Keep praying for us.
President and Sister Innes

Message from Wednesday 9/12/18