Thirty years ago today, Hurricane Hugo made landfall at the Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island, just north of Charleston, South Carolina as a massive Category 4 storm just after midnight on Friday, September 22, 1989. The 40 mile-wide eye of the storm crossed the coast in the proximity of Charleston a few minutes before midnight. What was then recorded as “the Nation’s costliest hurricane” (in terms of monetary losses but not in lives lost) hit the coast at a forward speed of nearly 30 mph, with estimated maximum winds of 140-145 mph. Hugo also produced the highest storm tide heights ever recorded along the US East Coast, around 20 feet recorded in Bulls Bay, SC.
Hugo produced significant wind and storm damage along the coast and even produced hurricane force wind gusts several hundred miles inland into western North Carolina. As Hugo moved further inland, winds decreased rapidly, though still with maximum winds at around 87 mph as the hurricane downgraded to a Category 1 by the time the storm front reached Charlotte, North Carolina (over 150 miles inland) around 3 AM EDT.
Hurricane Hugo caused unmatched destruction on our communities -- particularly in the SC Lowcountry. The storm leveled beachfront properties and pushed fishing boats and private vessels well inland into towns and streets. In the aftermath of the storm, then US President George H.W. Bush declared 52% of the state as “Federally Recognized Disaster Areas.
Most importantly, Hugo caused 26 fatalities, 343 injuries, and extreme hardship on many of South Carolina’s families, particularly those who lost their homes to flood and wind damage. Many tens of thousands were without power for several days.
The memories of that terrible night have certainly never been forgotten by those of us who experienced it.
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| A portion of the Ben Sawyer Bridge linking Mount Pleasant, SC to Sullivan's Island collapsed due to strong winds and storm surge. This is one of the most iconic images of the destruction left by Hurricane Hugo on September 22, 1989. |
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| The path of Hurricane Hugo as it crossed South Carolina into North Carolina. |
My Hugo Story
I was thirteen years old the night that Hurricane Hugo came ashore. I can still vividly remember the day leading up to landfall and what was happening. It was a night and an experience this blogger will never forget, nor ever expected to have.
To be perfectly honest, at the time I wasn't particularly concerned about storm damage here, and neither were most people in the Piedmont area of the state. Chester, South Carolina is about a four hour drive from Charleston. The idea that a coastal weather system having any really large impact on this part of the state was largely dismissed by most at the time.
Hooboy, how blissfully ignorant we were.
Despite this there were still a number of people, including my grandparents, stocking up and being prepared just in case the hurricane caused rain damage at the least, or tornadoes at the worst. The grocery stores were crowded and being sold out of various food stuff, like it usually is whenever a winter storm was expected.
I also vaguely remember how unusually busy the roads were, particularly US 321. Many people in the Lowcountry were evacuating inland to Charlotte and other places in North Carolina to wait out the storm.
In case of tornadoes, or really bad thunderstorms, the safest place in our old home was the hallway, which had no open windows and a closet space where my Grandpa Billy (Lord rest his soul!) put down several mattresses and blankets to use as shields against shattered glass, or other debris. Those probably would not have provided serious protection if a tornado had struck and torn the house apart, though any little bit was enough to reassure me and my then 11 year old sister, Olivia.
I remember thinking that the storm might mean we'd get the day off school the next day since my grandpa had already called his work and told them he wouldn't be able to make his third shift job that evening -- turned out the plant he worked at closed down for the night because half the workers did the same. I'd just started junior high (that's middle school for you folks today -- and yeah saying that kinda ages me, huh?) and our social studies class was doing hurricane charts following the progress of Hugo as it hit Puerto Rico about a week earlier and made its way towards us.
That night we sat in the living room staying up well past bedtime watching the news about the incoming hurricane and projections. We'd also brought in our two outside dogs. Outside the wind was starting to pick up and the sky was getting cloudy. I remember going out into the backyard at least one time and watching in fascination as the trees began to bend at the top a little. I closed my eyes letting the cool air blow my face and hair, listening to the sounds of the trees being bent by then 40 mph winds.
My sister was concerned, but mostly sleepy. I don't remember being too afraid. I actually fell asleep for a time not long after that on one of the mattresses in the hallway.
A couple of hours later, I would later wake up to the sound of rattling outside as what was by then the Category 1 or 2 Hurricane Hugo made its way to my hometown. The house trembled and outside I could hear cracks as branches of trees snapped and thumps as debris hit out house. The window in the bathroom rattled.
Olivia, bless her, remained asleep and largely oblivious. I was awake and now more than a bit nervous. My Grandma Carolyn (Lord rest her soul!) sat down beside where I lay comforting me, though I could tell both her and my grandpa were worried. The power went out and my grandpa got out a couple of flashlights.
Then something happened that I don't believe I'll ever forget. Everything outside began to grow quiet and the wind started to die down, almost abruptly.
I remember that I got up and went to the backyard going outside. Everything was wet from the pouring rain and there were lots of green leaves everywhere on the ground. I only stepped a few feet from my back door when I looked up and saw, to my surprise, stars in the sky overhead.
We were in the eye of the storm! The outer edge of it certainly, but still in the eye of the hurricane. It was an eerie experience to say the least.
Everything was so calm and quiet. There were not even the sounds of crickets chirping, or other bugs making their usual night time sounds. Just the stillness and utter silence of the eye. My grandparents were at the open backdoor watching, but didn't join me outside. We could see the corner of the storm and the clouds moving fast, and I even remember a couple flashes of green in the vortex.
After a few minutes, I went back inside just as the wind began to kick up again and lay back down on the mattress beside my snoring younger sister, who still remained oblivious having literally slept through a hurricane -- something I still tease her about to this day. I just lay down, thinking about what an experience being in the eye of a hurricane was. Already I could hear the wind picking back up again as I closed my eyes and actually fell asleep, in spite of everything.
Even 30 years later, I have never experienced anything like it.
Well folks, I must have passed out being so tired and having my sleeping schedule through out of its usual routine, because I don't remember anything until I woke up the next morning and Hugo had passed by.
The power was still out, so no breakfast aside from some cookies and semi-cold milk -- not that I complained. A portable battery-powered radio my grandpa had in the kitchen told us the news stories of the devastation caused in the wake of Hugo.
In the morning light, I could see the damage outside in my backyard -- mostly a bunch of scattered pecan leaves and pine tree needles covered everything, and some things that were not secured were blown all over the yard. Lots of smaller branches were also among the debris, and at least one large branch on the pecan tree snapped off. We also lost half of one of our chimneys.
Otherwise, we were very fortunate. In fact, the power was restored later that day, and yes, me and Olivia did have the day off from school and a subsequent 3-day weekend.
Many trees in my town and the surrounding area did fall over blocking roads and destroying power lines. A few people were injured trying to clear the larger limbs, either from chainsaw accidents, or from being struck by unstable branches. One man was nearly electrocuted by a power-line that had come loose. I would later find out that some really large trees at nearby Chester State Park and other places in the county were blown over and uprooted by Hugo. I saw a couple of these uprooted trees myself not long after it happened.
It was certainly an experience I will never forget, nor will anyone in the Carolinas and the Caribbean touched by the destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Hugo.
Since then my home state has had some near misses, and some flooding from other storms; but so far no major story systems landing on the South Carolina coastline and impacting the whole state quite like Hugo did.
The question however is not so much if, but when will another major hurricane hit South Carolina the way Hugo did?
My sincere hope is no time soon. Once was more than enough for this Southern boy.
I was thirteen years old the night that Hurricane Hugo came ashore. I can still vividly remember the day leading up to landfall and what was happening. It was a night and an experience this blogger will never forget, nor ever expected to have.
To be perfectly honest, at the time I wasn't particularly concerned about storm damage here, and neither were most people in the Piedmont area of the state. Chester, South Carolina is about a four hour drive from Charleston. The idea that a coastal weather system having any really large impact on this part of the state was largely dismissed by most at the time.
Hooboy, how blissfully ignorant we were.
Despite this there were still a number of people, including my grandparents, stocking up and being prepared just in case the hurricane caused rain damage at the least, or tornadoes at the worst. The grocery stores were crowded and being sold out of various food stuff, like it usually is whenever a winter storm was expected.
I also vaguely remember how unusually busy the roads were, particularly US 321. Many people in the Lowcountry were evacuating inland to Charlotte and other places in North Carolina to wait out the storm.
In case of tornadoes, or really bad thunderstorms, the safest place in our old home was the hallway, which had no open windows and a closet space where my Grandpa Billy (Lord rest his soul!) put down several mattresses and blankets to use as shields against shattered glass, or other debris. Those probably would not have provided serious protection if a tornado had struck and torn the house apart, though any little bit was enough to reassure me and my then 11 year old sister, Olivia.
I remember thinking that the storm might mean we'd get the day off school the next day since my grandpa had already called his work and told them he wouldn't be able to make his third shift job that evening -- turned out the plant he worked at closed down for the night because half the workers did the same. I'd just started junior high (that's middle school for you folks today -- and yeah saying that kinda ages me, huh?) and our social studies class was doing hurricane charts following the progress of Hugo as it hit Puerto Rico about a week earlier and made its way towards us.
That night we sat in the living room staying up well past bedtime watching the news about the incoming hurricane and projections. We'd also brought in our two outside dogs. Outside the wind was starting to pick up and the sky was getting cloudy. I remember going out into the backyard at least one time and watching in fascination as the trees began to bend at the top a little. I closed my eyes letting the cool air blow my face and hair, listening to the sounds of the trees being bent by then 40 mph winds.
My sister was concerned, but mostly sleepy. I don't remember being too afraid. I actually fell asleep for a time not long after that on one of the mattresses in the hallway.
A couple of hours later, I would later wake up to the sound of rattling outside as what was by then the Category 1 or 2 Hurricane Hugo made its way to my hometown. The house trembled and outside I could hear cracks as branches of trees snapped and thumps as debris hit out house. The window in the bathroom rattled.
Olivia, bless her, remained asleep and largely oblivious. I was awake and now more than a bit nervous. My Grandma Carolyn (Lord rest her soul!) sat down beside where I lay comforting me, though I could tell both her and my grandpa were worried. The power went out and my grandpa got out a couple of flashlights.
Then something happened that I don't believe I'll ever forget. Everything outside began to grow quiet and the wind started to die down, almost abruptly.
I remember that I got up and went to the backyard going outside. Everything was wet from the pouring rain and there were lots of green leaves everywhere on the ground. I only stepped a few feet from my back door when I looked up and saw, to my surprise, stars in the sky overhead.
We were in the eye of the storm! The outer edge of it certainly, but still in the eye of the hurricane. It was an eerie experience to say the least.
Everything was so calm and quiet. There were not even the sounds of crickets chirping, or other bugs making their usual night time sounds. Just the stillness and utter silence of the eye. My grandparents were at the open backdoor watching, but didn't join me outside. We could see the corner of the storm and the clouds moving fast, and I even remember a couple flashes of green in the vortex.
After a few minutes, I went back inside just as the wind began to kick up again and lay back down on the mattress beside my snoring younger sister, who still remained oblivious having literally slept through a hurricane -- something I still tease her about to this day. I just lay down, thinking about what an experience being in the eye of a hurricane was. Already I could hear the wind picking back up again as I closed my eyes and actually fell asleep, in spite of everything.
Even 30 years later, I have never experienced anything like it.
Well folks, I must have passed out being so tired and having my sleeping schedule through out of its usual routine, because I don't remember anything until I woke up the next morning and Hugo had passed by.
The power was still out, so no breakfast aside from some cookies and semi-cold milk -- not that I complained. A portable battery-powered radio my grandpa had in the kitchen told us the news stories of the devastation caused in the wake of Hugo.
In the morning light, I could see the damage outside in my backyard -- mostly a bunch of scattered pecan leaves and pine tree needles covered everything, and some things that were not secured were blown all over the yard. Lots of smaller branches were also among the debris, and at least one large branch on the pecan tree snapped off. We also lost half of one of our chimneys.
Otherwise, we were very fortunate. In fact, the power was restored later that day, and yes, me and Olivia did have the day off from school and a subsequent 3-day weekend.
Many trees in my town and the surrounding area did fall over blocking roads and destroying power lines. A few people were injured trying to clear the larger limbs, either from chainsaw accidents, or from being struck by unstable branches. One man was nearly electrocuted by a power-line that had come loose. I would later find out that some really large trees at nearby Chester State Park and other places in the county were blown over and uprooted by Hugo. I saw a couple of these uprooted trees myself not long after it happened.
It was certainly an experience I will never forget, nor will anyone in the Carolinas and the Caribbean touched by the destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Hugo.
Since then my home state has had some near misses, and some flooding from other storms; but so far no major story systems landing on the South Carolina coastline and impacting the whole state quite like Hugo did.
The question however is not so much if, but when will another major hurricane hit South Carolina the way Hugo did?
My sincere hope is no time soon. Once was more than enough for this Southern boy.
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