The line was out the door, literally, at the unemployment office in Horry County Tuesday morning.
Folks began showing up as early as 8 a.m. at the Coastal Workforce Center, even though the office was under a two-hour delay due to the weather and didn't open until 10 a.m.
Workforce officials say people who were scheduled Monday had to go to the facility Tuesday instead since the office was closed Monday after Governor Mark Sanford ordered all government offices closed due to inclement weather.
Compound that with the fact that a record number of people continue to seek unemployment benefits, among other things, and officials say that's a recipe for a busy day.
"The first two weeks in January are the heaviest weeks we have all year long. Plus we have four new laws concerning unemployment," pointed out Mary Nell Smith, Director of the Coastal Workforce Center in Conway.
"So, we're having to double check all the claims - the people filing extensions, some of them we're having to recheck to see if they could possibly be eligible, so it's taking extra time per person to check."
Smith says missing Monday and getting a late start Tuesday will set the office back about a week.
This is the busy time of year, so if you're going to the unemployment office, officials ask that you expect a wait and to be patient.
