Tybee Island Fire Chief Jeremy Kendrick says it’s still early on, so they’re just in the monitoring phase for tropical system Ian.
They’re paying close attention to the forecasts and meeting with CEMA and other agencies every morning this week as the storm progresses.
Because they’re in the monitoring phase, this does mean that the city is in OPCON 4. You’ll hear the term OPCON used a lot during hurricane season. It stands for “operating condition.”
It describes the level of alert and preparedness that various state agencies are working under. To put it into perspective, OPCON 5 is what the city is under the majority of the time, which is normal day-to-day operations with no threats. Chief Kendrick says they are checking in with the businesses on the island to make sure they’re prepped and ready.