"I hate driving in the rain. I would stay in the condo if I knew it was coming, unless we were told to evacuate. but I absolutely love this down here! A little bit of rain won't hurt you."
Debbie Turnbow made the trek to Myrtle Beach from Ohio and like several other visitors NewsChannel 15 spoke with on the boardwalk, it's too early to tell if Hurricane Irene is going to affect their travel plans.
They Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce received around 30 calls Tuesday morning from visitors wondering if they should still visit.
"People hearing about the storm, wanting to know if they were already planning on coming, if they can still come. And for those who were thinking about making that last minute decision, they want to keep up to date on what's happening," MBACC President Brad Dean said.
The Chamber is telling everyone to look for the most updated weather information, but at this point no one knows exactly where the storm will hit and when the storm will hit.
"We're hopeful it's not coming to the Grand Strand and it's still going to be a good weekend. But we certainly don't want to jeopardize anyone's safety. We're doing everything we can to protect business, while also protecting our visitors, our residents, and our businesses," Dean added.
Tourists we spoke with were in no hurry to book it from the boardwalk. "I would love to see what the hurricane is like. I know it's kind of crazy, but very adventuresome. I always like to watch when they show tornadoes. Severe weather interests me. Not that I would want to be in the middle of it on the beach, but I do enjoy watching the sky change and the ocean and the weather coming in off the surf," Turnbow said.
If Hurricane Irene happens to make landfall, most hotels have handled it before, so they'll work with visitors before they arrive, as well as those who are already in Myrtle Beach.
"Certainly everyone will be kept well aware of all evacuation plans, if in fact that comes to play. The Chamber will assist visitors who plan on coming, as well as those who are here, trying to provide whatever information we can. Not only on an evacuation, but hopefully when the business will be back up and running after the business leaves," Dean said.
Of course, that's a worst case scenario and the Chamber's prepared to do damage control and bring people back. "Between the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber and the Recovery Council we've set aside over $1 million that will be used in advertisments and promotions immediately after a storm if it would be helpful to bring visitors back," Dean said.
"We'll wait, ride it out. See if we can't get some excitement," Witlox said.
"Next Monday is sunny! Come on in! It's a beautiful place to be," Turnbow added.
