PINE RIDGE, S.C. _ South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster has lifted the evacuation order for Beaufort, Colleton and Jasper counties, with the exception of Edisto Beach.
McMaster lifted the evacuation orders Tuesday as projections showed Hurricane Florence moving farther north.
McMaster also moved up the planned lane reversal on Interstate 26 to facilitate evacuations from elsewhere on the coast. That lane reversal went into effect at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Mandatory evacuations for five other counties _ Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown and Horry _ remain in effect, McMaster said at a press briefing.
Asked whether additional evacuation orders could be lifted, McMaster said: "Everything is possible. ... This storm _ they say, they are telling us _ is very unpredictable. Once it gets here, it might stay for a while. It might not leave, which means we're going to have some flooding. We know that for sure."
Asked to respond to South Carolinians who say he issued evacuation orders prematurely, McMaster said: "This is a very dangerous hurricane, and we do not want to gamble with a single life of a single South Carolinian."
The governor stressed Hurricane Florence is still "dangerous and unpredictable," with a force that could rival Hugo in size and strength.
"We try to operate on the very best and latest information, with precision so as not to inconvenience people when it's not necessary to do so," McMaster said. "But, also, to be sure that our people are out of harm's way and that we've exercised all the logistical implications."
Maj. Gen. Robert E. Livingston Jr., the head of the South Carolina National Guard, added it takes 36 to 48 hours to evacuate the coast.
"A storm can make a change in two to three hours that is unpredictable," Livingston said. "So, as the governor says, we have to err on the side of caution to make sure all of our citizens are safe. And one life is not worth an economic advantage somewhere else. So inconvenience is part of the hurricane response, but so is caution."
Many South Carolinians are evacuating.
McMaster said Monday as many as a million people could leave the coast. With Beaufort, Jasper and Colleton counties lifted from his evacuation order, that reduces the number to more than 770,000.
The state Transportation Department said it is seeing three times the traffic on I-26 as normal due to the evacuation, said transportation head Christy Hall.
Two highways in Beaufort County _ U.S. 278 and 21 _ were being considered for a lane reversal on Monday. Those plans were dropped as the evacuation order was lifted Tuesday.
