South Bend couple evacuated from Myrtle Beach hotel

SOUTH BEND, In. -- One South Bend couple’s first vacation in 23 years was cut short this week by Hurricane Florence.

The Myrtle Beach hotel they were staying at ordered mandatory evacuations Tuesday.

“Our trip was cut short by 4 days, 5 days,” Andrea Morton said.

Her and her husband Roger, were among one-million on South Carolina’s 187 mile coastline ordered to evacuate. They are now making the 16 hour drive from Myrtle Beach back to South Bend.

“They gave us a phone call to our hotel room telling us we were required to be out of the hotel by noon,” Morton said.

The outer bands of Florence have already hit the Carolinas. Although Florence has weakened a bit, it’s still a threat to those on the coast. Officials are warning residents that if they don’t evacuate, no one will be able to save them.

“Sometimes people think that just because the storm has been downgraded, that it is not gonna be impactful,” Brenda Bethune, Mayor of Myrtle Beach, said.” “That is not the case with Florence.”

ABC57’s First Warning Neighborhood meteorologists are calling for heavy rain, flooding and storm surges of up to 13 feet.

When Andrea and Roger left Myrtle Beach Tuesday, they say the weather was beautiful. That is not the case anymore with heavy winds and huge waves already crashing on Myrtle Beach shores.  

“There will be vacations in the future, it was our first time to Myrtle Beach and we’ll go again,” Morton said.