Hurricane Irene Gives Beaches a Beating

The Lowcountry mostly steared clear of much of Hurricane Irene's high winds and flooding rains, but now coastal communities are raising concerns about beach erosion.

Even 160 or so miles off the coast, Irene still brought strong storm surges that proved ravaging to local beaches. On Monday, officials in the three Charleston beach communities began planning for how they will renourish eroded sand.

“We’re seeing lots of beach erosion,” said Folly Beach City Administrator Toni Connor-Rooks. “We have about five homes that have been compromised.”

On Monday, Folly Beach County Park on the west end of the island remained closed over fears about electrical wiring exposed during the storm.

Folly Beach hasn’t looked this bad since 1993, when the federal government renourished sand on the island, Connor-Rooks said. Most of the damage is on the extreme ends of the island, and the main public beach is mostly intact, she said.

Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island both saw some damage from Irene, but leaders there admit they were lucky.

“The town experienced moderate erosion all along the beach because of the wind-driven high tides,” said Sullivan’s Island Town Administrator Andy Benke.

“The center of the island fared well, but the usual areas of concern on the northeast and southwest sections of the beach experienced erosion.”

Isle of Palms saw some erosion on the east end of the island, said Mayor Dick Cronin, as well as damage to several beach walkovers, but the Isle’s seven miles of beachfront real estate is mostly unharmed he said.

Across the Lowcountry, storm surges damaged the regions sea turtle nesting sites.

Monday, officials with the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control were on all the beaches assessing damage. Municipal leaders hope they lobby the state and federal government for assistance in placing more sand on the storm-ravaged beaches.

“Tourism is South Carolina’s largest industry, and it’s Folly Beach’s only industry,” said Connor-Rooks. “Our beaches are home to $300 million in real estate that is vital to our economy. We are waiting to see if any funds become available from other avenues.”

Folly Beach was already in line for an $18-million renourishment in 2013. The city already has allocated its $2 million federal match for that project.

Even though the beaches saw damage, it should not a deterrent for tourists, Connor-Rooks said.

“People are out there now,” she said. “There are still places to enjoy the beach, and no matter what, people who want to go to the beach find a way to enjoy it."