Due to the destructive weather expected to impact the local area this week from Hurricane Debby, Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island leadership has decided not to evacuate the base and will shelter in place until the storm has passed.

The depot will begin base hardening measures today by fortifying buildings with sandbags, emplacing protective coverings to windows as appropriate, and begin distributing food and water to all training battalions in preparation for degraded services across the base.

Due to the forecasted track of Hurricane Debby, its reported strength, and the potential impacts in the local area, depot leadership has made several changes to operations that will impact the base beginning tomorrow.

For the families of Kilo Company, many of the decisions made impact graduation activities for you and your Marine. All Family Day activities for Wednesday and Thursday have been cancelled. For Friday, we have made no changes to any of the scheduled graduation day activities at this time.

We truly understand the importance of these Family Day activities, however, for the safety of everyone, we must make appropriate decisions based on the forecasted destructive weather.

High winds, historic rain, and coastal flooding is anticipated to impact Beaufort County starting today and lasting throughout Thursday. Due to this, the depot will modify training for companies currently completing marksmanship training and executing Basic Warrior Training. There have been no changes to the timeline for Lima Company’s Crucible at this time.

For recruits expected to ship to MCRD Parris Island this week, a decision has been made to delay shipping to the base until the storm has passed. Please contact your local recruiter for information on your future shipping date.

For personnel assigned to the depot, leadership teams from across the base will make determinations on their essential personnel needs to support base functions during Hurricane Debby. The base will enter into an essential personnel status beginning tomorrow. All essential personnel identified by their commands will be required to report to their normal scheduled shift.

All personnel should exercise caution and risk management if driving during the storm. For planning purposes, bridges throughout the county will close if sustained winds exceed 39 miles per hour. Please take the necessary measures to protect your family from the impacts of this storm.

Be aware that conditions with Hurricane Debby may change quickly, so please monitor the media and public safety channels for the most up-to-date information on this storm.

Lastly, thank you for your understanding and please remain flexible. The storm and its impacts to the local area will be the primary catalyst for any future decisions that impact the base or depot operations.

 We continue to prepare for the impacts of Hurricane Debby and as information becomes available, we will to provide updates to families on our planned actions through the official MCRD Parris Island command website and official social media accounts.