Ernie L Cooper Sr, Councilman D3

Ernie L Cooper Sr, Councilman D3 Public information for the community or District as well as Georgetown County

03/15/2026

Good evening,

Georgetown County remains under an Enhanced Risk (Level 3 of 5) for severe weather on Monday, March 16, 2026. The threat assessment remains unchanged, with damaging winds, the potential for tornadoes, and large hail as the primary concerns. Impacts may occur throughout the day, with isolated storms possible during the morning hours. The greatest potential for scattered severe storms is expected during the afternoon as the primary squall line moves through our region.
Our readiness posture will remain at OPCON 3 – Normal Operations. However, Emergency Management personnel will continue to monitor conditions throughout the day and stand ready to respond if conditions warrant.
For your situational awareness, I have attached the latest briefing from the National Weather Service in Wilmington, NC. We will continue to closely monitor forecast updates and will provide an additional briefing if forecast conditions change overnight or tomorrow morning.

Councilman Ernie L Cooper Sr, D3

03/14/2026

National Weather Service in Wilmington, NC has placed Georgetown County under an Enhanced Risk (Level 3 of 5) for severe weather on Monday, March 16, 2026. The primary threats associated with this weather system include damaging winds exceeding 60 mph, the potential for tornadoes, and large hail. Severe weather impacts may occur throughout the day, with storms expected to remain mostly isolated during the morning hours before becoming more widespread during the afternoon and evening.
We will receive another update from the National Weather Service tomorrow before noon and will continue to closely monitor the situation. Based on the current forecast, we do not plan to increase readiness levels at the Georgetown County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at this time. Should conditions change, I will provide an alert notification to the appropriate EOC personnel.
In the meantime, enjoy this beautiful Saturday, and consider taking a few moments to secure any loose items around your home that could become airborne due to the potential for damaging wind gusts on Monday.

Councilman Ernie L Cooper Sr, D3

01/31/2026

Good afternoon,

There have been reports of light, wintry precipitation occurring across western portions of Georgetown County over the past hour. There have been no major changes to the forecast since our last update, with snow accumulations of 6.7 inches possible overnight. Snowfall should begin across the county over the course of the afternoon, becoming steady throughout the overnight hours and ending around daybreak tomorrow morning. Whatever accumulates will not go anywhere fast, as temperatures tomorrow are not forecast to climb but a degree or two above freezing.

Hazardous travel and cold temperatures continue to be our primary threats from this event. SCDOT continues to work on pretreating our primary roads, and Georgetown County Public Works is postured to support. Public safety agencies are also upstaffed and ready to respond.

The EOC remains at OPCON 2 - Enhanced Awareness and is activated in a virtual platform. Currently, ESFs and stakeholders are reporting no unmet needs or issues.

Thank you,

Bishop Ernie L Cooper Sr, Councilman D3

01/30/2026

Good evening,

There have been slight changes to the forecast since our update yesterday afternoon. The Winter Storm Watch has been upgraded to a Winter Storm Warning effective from 1 AM Saturday through 4 PM Sunday. An Extreme Cold Warning is in place from 6 PM Saturday through 10 AM Sunday. A Gale Warning is also in effect from 9 AM Saturday through 7 PM Sunday.

Snowfall accumulations of 4 to 8 inches are possible, with flurries beginning tomorrow morning. The heaviest snowfall is expected from late afternoon through the overnight, with snowfall ending around daybreak.

Gusty conditions are possible from late Saturday through Sunday night, with gusts of 45 mph possible along the coast.

Dangerously cold wind chills will be possible during overnight hours from Saturday through Monday morning.

Our primary threats remain hazardous travel conditions and extremely cold temperatures. Residents are encouraged to postpone any unnecessary travel once conditions begin to deteriorate tomorrow until conditions improve. We've also published information on cold weather safety and home preparedness.

Two warming centers continue to operate at Mount Olive Baptist Church on Duke Street in Georgetown, and at the Low Country Veterans Group on Lincoln Street in Georgetown. Additionally, Precious Blood Church in Pawleys will provide breakfast at Fr.Pat's Kitchen Saturday morning 0900-1100.

The Georgetown County Emergency Management Division transitioned to OPCON 2 - Enhanced Awareness at noon today. We will activate a virtual EOC tomorrow at noon to facilitate any coordination among emergency support functions. Georgetown County recycling centers and the landfill will close at noon tomorrow and stay closed on Sunday. Georgetown County Parks and Recreation will close tomorrow at 2 PM.

We will continue to closely monitor the forecast and anticipated conditions throughout the night.

Warm regards,

Bishop Ernie L Cooper Sr, Councilman D3

01/24/2026

There are no major changes following this afternoon’s briefing packet from NWS-Wilmington, NC (attached). Ice accumulations between 0.01 to 0.10 inches may occur across western portions of the county tonight, yielding minor travel inconveniences on untreated surfaces. Additionally, no significant impacts to utility infrastructure is expected.

Georgetown County Emergency Management remains at OPCON-2 Enhanced Awareness, with no EOC activation planned. Emergency Services and the Sheriff’s Office will maintain an enhanced readiness posture overnight in the event that unexpected impacts occur. Public Works has personnel and resource on standby and ready to respond should significant, unexpected debris issues occur. SCDOT continues to pre-treat roadways and bridges along primary routes, and will monitor conditions overnight. If no issues occur overnight, we will return to normal operations tomorrow.

Pending any unexpected issues, this will serve as our final update for this event. I want to thank everyone for their dedicated planning and participation over the past several days. Without each of you engaging in the preparedness and protection of our community our mission in emergency management would not be successful.

Thank you,

Bishop Ernie L Cooper Sr, Councilman D3

01/21/2026

,
There has been little change in the forecast for this weekend’s potential winter weather event. Confidence remains high that winter weather will impact our area; however, confidence in projected accumulations remains low at this time. The primary precipitation types continue to be forecast as freezing rain and sleet, accompanied by extremely cold temperatures extending into next week. Timing remains consistent, with the primary window for winter weather impacts expected from Saturday night through Sunday.
Any form of wintry precipitation will result in hazardous travel conditions. Additionally, significant ice accumulations could lead to downed trees and power outages.
We will continue to closely monitor forecast updates from the National Weather Service in Wilmington, NC, and adjust our planning efforts based on the anticipated impacts. At this time, the Georgetown County Emergency Operations Center remains at OPCON 3 – Normal Operations. A plan is in place should it become necessary to increase our readiness level later this week.
A copy of this morning’s NWS briefing is attached. We will review this afternoon’s briefing and provide updates as warranted. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions.
Thank you,

01/18/2026

Good morning,

There has been a lot of chatter over the past couple of days regarding the potential for wintry weather. Earlier this morning, we received our first official forecast briefing packet from the National Weather Service in Wilmington, NC for this event.

Based on the current forecast, no snow accumulations are expected. However, hazardous travel conditions may develop overnight into tomorrow morning. Black ice is possible due to overnight freezing temperatures combined with residual moisture from today’s precipitation. Additionally, there is a potential for freezing fog in areas away from the coast.

At this time, the Georgetown County Emergency Operations Center will remain at normal operations, with no anticipated increase in readiness level for this event. We will message safe driving and weather safety information relevant to the anticipated transportation hazards through today and into tomorrow morning.

Another forecast update from NWS Wilmington is expected later today. I will continue to monitor this information and will provide additional briefings if forecast conditions change. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Georgetown County Economic Development, the Georgetown Alliance for Economic Development and SC Works will host their th...
01/16/2026

Georgetown County Economic Development, the Georgetown Alliance for Economic Development and SC Works will host their third annual Georgetown County Job fair on Thursday, Feb. 12 from 3-6 p.m. The event will take place at the Howard Center, located at 1610 Hawkins St. All jobseekers are welcome, but pre-registration is requested.

Save the Date February 12, 2026. Time 3:00-6:00
01/12/2026

Save the Date February 12, 2026. Time 3:00-6:00

01/12/2026

Monday, January 12, 2026
Subject: Save the Date: Georgetown County Job Fair on 2/12

Georgetown County Economic Development, the Georgetown Alliance for Economic Development and SC Works will host their third annual Georgetown County Job fair on Thursday, Feb. 12 from 3-6 p.m. The event will take place at the Howard Center, located at 1610 Hawkins St. All jobseekers are welcome, but pre-registration is requested.

Jackie R. Broach, MPIO

Public Information Officer,

Georgetown County

716 Prince St., Georgetown, SC 29440

01/12/2026

Monday, January 12, 2026
Subject: Georgetown County Burn Ban Lifted

Due to improved fire weather conditions, the outdoor burning ban has been lifted for Georgetown County. Residents are still encouraged to exercise caution if conducting outdoor burning, and to do so within the parameters outlined by the South Carolina Forestry Commission.

Jackie R. Broach, MPIO

Come on out District-3
01/08/2026

Come on out District-3

Address

PO Box 205
Andrews, SC
29510

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