Category 3 with 120 mph winds hit just north of Charleston. With the ground still soaked from the previous hurricane, significant flooding occurred in our area. During these major hurricanes and countless others of lesser intensity, no residents lived on the island. But by the time Hurricane Hazel hit in 1954, folks were beginning to settle here. This Category 4 storm was one of the worst on record, with 130 mph winds. It made landfall at the North Carolina border, but the hurricane’s ferocity wreaked havoc in Charleston, too. Some old timers remember Hurricane Gracie, which occurred almost IslandVibesIOP.com 28 elcome to summer — or should we say, hurricane season. It’s that time of year when locals take a deep breath and hope for the best. We’ve been lucky lately. But just ask any long-time Isle of Palms resident what comes to mind when the word “hurricane” is mentioned. That would be the worst-case scenario — Hurricane Hugo. The storm left its mark on our collective memory, causing cataclysmic damage physically, mentally, emotionally and economically. Hugo was the catalyst for the construction of the IOP Connector as well, which made future evacuations and returns more efficient. But the bridge also provided an easier daily commute, causing the island’s population to surge and transform this sleepy, remote island community into one of the region’s most desirable places to live and vacation. Official record keeping of hurricanes didn’t begin until 1851 and since then, the National Weather Service has recorded seven storms of Category 3 or greater to hit the South Carolina coast, with 17 hurricanes of varying intensity landing in Charleston County. Even before record-keeping began, some hurricanes were destined to live in infamy. The earliest occurred in 1686. It was a strong storm, but on the upside, it thwarted an invasion of the harbor by Spanish ships from Florida. The armada was blown off course, giving way to its moniker — the Spanish Repulse. Two other mega storms, the Great Storm of 1713 and a Category 3 hurricane in 1822, both had the island directly in their paths. The year 1893 was very bad. The Great Sea Islands Storm was a Category 3. Its eye passed over Savannah, but with a 16-foot storm surge and 115 mph winds, damage inflicted upon the entire Lowcountry coast was catastrophic. Just six weeks later, another HISTORY Hurricane chronicles Paying the price to live in paradise By Mary Coy W Hurricane Hazel 1954 Hurricane gracie 1959 Hurricane hugo 1989 30 years to the day before Hurricane Hugo. Like Hugo, it also was a Category 4. Gracie targeted Beaufort, but being on the north side of a storm with 130 mph winds made things bad for the Charleston area. Fortunately, it hit at low tide avoiding more dire consequences, although a house on Sullivan’s Island was destroyed by a tornado that spawned from the hurricane. Gracie moved slowly and the rain lasted for two days. We’ve managed to escape the wrath of major hurricanes over recent years, although we certainly felt the effects from Hurricane Matthew (2016), Hurricane Florence (2018), Hurricane Dorian (2019), Hurricane Isaias (2020), Hurricane Ian (2022) and Hurricane Idalia (2023). No storm is welcome, but living with them is the price we are willing to pay to live in this tropical paradise that we call home.
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