South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley concluded a Friday evening press conference by having a chaplain pray for the Palmetto State as it readied for the arrival of Hurricane Matthew.
Mrs. Haley had assembled reporters in order to give an update on the Category 2 hurricane as South Carolinians braced for the worst from a potentially catastrophic storm that had already caused the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of coastal residents and power outages across the state.
“The best thing now is to hunker down, stay in a safe place and don’t move,” she said at the Friday evening press briefing prior to the event ending with a short prayer offered by a National Guard chaplain.
“Heavenly Father, in this time of trial and stress, it truly is our comfort to seek your mighty power and perfect peace. We humbly ask your great blessing upon our great state,” he began.
“May your love in us outshine the darkness of this storm. No storm is greater than you,” the chaplain added.
Ms. Haley said at an press conference earlier this week that a chaplain has been in attendance at recent meetings held by her office in preparation of Hurricane Matthew, saying Thursday: “It’s time to pray.”
The identity of the chaplain who led Friday evening’s prayer could not immediately be confirmed, and the South Carolina State Guard Chaplain Corps Detachment did not respond to inquires early Saturday.
South Carolina was expected to bear the brunt of Hurricane Matthew early Saturday, and Ms. Haley told reporters at a press briefing late that morning that she was unaware of any deaths in her state attributed to the storm.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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