The Mortgage Bankers Association of the Carolinas is postponing its annual convention due to Hurricane Matthew, which is quickly approaching the United States.
The hurricane is projected to make landfall in Florida on Thursday and move north up the Eastern seaboard from there.
The MBAC’s 61st Annual Convention and Trade Show was set to begin Tuesday, with continuing education events scheduled to begin Oct. 4 and other convention events set to begin Wednesday morning.
The conference was to take place at the Hilton Head Marriott Resort and Spa in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and was scheduled to run from October 4-7. The hotel is on the eastern coast of Hilton Head Island, mere steps from the beachfront.
Mortgage industry insider Rob Chrisman sent out an alert Tuesday afternoon notifying all of his subscribers of the MBAC’s cancelation.
“Please note: for anyone scheduled to attend the Mortgage Bankers Association of the Carolinas conference this week, the event has been postponed indefinitely due to weather conditions and the evacuation measures taking place,” Chrisman’s alert stated. “Those already there should exit, and those traveling there should cancel their travel plans.”
A representative from the MBAC confirmed that the conference is being postponed and told HousingWire that the organization is currently trying to contact as many of the conference’s prospective attendees as possible to notify them of the conference’s cancellation.
Earlier Tuesday, South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley ordered the evacuation of South Carolina’s coastal cities.
From South Carolina’s The State:
All of the coastal schools will be closed including in the following counties: Aiken, Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Gerogetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Lee, Lexington, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter, and Williamsburg.
Officials expect to evacuate 1.1 million residents from the coast. As a result, evacuations will not be fast and Haley asked residents to be patient and understand it could take several hours.
"You don't want to be caught in this,” Haley said. “If you don't get out in time, you might get stuck."
For more information on South Carolina’s preparations for Hurricane Matthew, click here.
