Another October in South Carolina, and yet another catastrophic weather event occurs. Hurricane Matthew blew in Friday night and caused much destruction in our state, as well as in our neighboring states. Fortunately, there was minimal loss of life, at least in South Carolina. Every life is precious, and every life is valued.

My neighborhood was without power for two and a half days, and as I remarked last night to my good friend and neighbor, Dr. Mark Salley, ‘When you lose things you take for granted, such as electricity, you doubly appreciate it when you get it back.” My heartfelt thanks to police officers, first responders, electrical company linemen, EMTs, and all those who made the best of a bad situation here in our state.

A special thanks to Governor Nikki Haley and her staff for a well-planned disaster response!