Store closures in effect in South Carolina, Georgia as Hurricane Ian approaches

Hurricane Ian made its way through Florida and is now headed toward the South Carolina coast as a hurricane. A Hurricane warning is in effect for South Carolina’s coast, with tropical storm warnings in place for Georgia and North Carolina. 

“Hurricane-force winds are expected along the coasts of South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina within the Hurricane Warning area by this afternoon,” the National Weather Service wrote in a 5 a.m. advisory. “Hurricane conditions are possible in North Carolina within the Hurricane Watch area by this afternoon. Preparations should be rushed to completion.”

Closures throughout affected areas have been announced.

Nearly 500 Publix grocery stores in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are operating on modified hours, according to a map of store statuses on the company’s website.

There are currently about 161 Walmart stores partially or fully closed in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. 

A statement about the hurricane closures was announced Tuesday, and a map of store closures and partial closures was posted along with it. 

A statement released on their website said “Walmart’s Emergency Operations Center is monitoring Hurricane Ian in real-time, assessing the status of our facilities in the path of the storm.” 

“We will continue operating as long as it is safe to do so,” the company said.

Shoppers can check the status of stores reopening on their website. 

Winn Dixie closed about 207 stores throughout Florida, and a few in Georgia due to the storm’s impact, according to their website. A statement from their website said they would update the status of closures as the storm passed.

“At a minimum, we will update the status of our stores at 8am, 12pm, 4pm and 8pm EST during the storm,” the statement read. “However, as we are monitoring the storm, the list below may be updated more frequently to provide you with the most up-to-date information.”

Shoppers can check the status of stores reopening on their website.



Anna Wilder is a senior at The University of Florida studying journalism. She has interned at the Miami Herald and was the Digital Managing Editor of the Independent Florida Alligator. Her work placed third in the National Hearst Investigative reporting awards in Spring 2022. She hopes to become a crime, political or investigative journalist, and she is passionate about accountability reporting. You can reach Anna at [email protected] and on Twitter at @anna_wilderr.


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