In Beaufort Co., hurricane evacuations will be different for people with livestock. Here’s why
This story has been updated with new information
With Hurricane season here, it’s important to know that this year mandatory evacuations will affect not just people but livestock, too.
An ordinance passed by the Beaufort County Council in April makes it illegal to leave livestock behind when a hurricane or tropical storm calls for a mandatory evacuation, if you live in a flood zone.
The ordinance states that “it shall be unlawful for an individual to abandon an animal and allow an animal to remain in a home, building, fence, cage, coop, crate or any other structure when any named tropical storm or named hurricane is expected to impact Beaufort County.”
If Beaufort County Animal Services finds that an animal has been abandoned in a flood zone during a named storm, the owner will be fined with a maximum fee of $1,087.50 per animal.
Terry and Laine Sutcliffe have about 50 animals on their farm on St. Helena Island, among them cows, chickens and pigs, but also more exotic animals like a camel, an emu and a llama.
In years past, the Sutcliffes have had to temporarily relocate their animals to their farm in Denmark, S.C. Moving their animals isn’t easy, but the Sutcliffes did it anyway, even before there was an ordinance.
“If you’re going to have animals, you have to follow through,” said Laine Sutcliffe. “You can’t just leave them.”
The Sutcliffes have a plan for when they need to evacuate. They have five trailers and typically leave early so their animals aren’t stuck in traffic.
The point is to be prepared. Tallulah Trice, director of Beaufort County Animal Services, knows it’s not always easy to move your animals, but with any hurricane preparation, the sooner you plan for it, the easier it is.
If someone has livestock that would need relocating, they can contact Beaufort County Animal Services and the agency will help find somewhere for the animals to go for the duration of the storm.
But, while Animal Services can put owners in contact with people to house animals, it’s still up to the owner to make the arrangements.
“I can’t organize everybody’s hurricane plan for their chickens and cows,” said Trice. “There’s hundreds of people that have offered a padded stall, but they’ve got to do the work.”
Trice believes that if the Sutcliffes can load up their animals, then “surely somebody can take care of their one or two horses.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2022 at 1:25 PM with the headline "In Beaufort Co., hurricane evacuations will be different for people with livestock. Here’s why."