Effects of Hurricane Dorian in the Carolinas

Impact

South Carolina

On August 28, NWS Charleston expected moderate to major levels of tidal flooding, even if Dorian remained away from Charleston. NWS Charleston also expected the rainfall-induced freshwater flooding threat to increase in the next week.

The highest wind gust associated with Dorian near South Carolina was on Buoy 41004, off the coast of the state, with a wind gust measured at 98 mph (158 km/h). The highest wind gusts recorded onshore were 92 mph (148 km/h) on Dewees Island, while the highest recorded winds on mainland South Carolina were 92 mph (148 km/h) measured on Fripp Island. Market Street in Charleston was submerged in 1 ft (0.30 m) of water, and the Charleston airport recorded about 5 in (130 mm) of rainfall. In Mount Pleasant, two people were killed after a possible lightning strike started a house fire. On September 6, 81 homes in North Charleston sustained damage, with 25 receiving major damage, 24 receiving minor damage, and two being rendered inaccessible. A tree fell on a boy's bedroom in North Charleston, almost completely decimating it. A nearby tree fell on a power line in North Charleston, taking out power to half of a woman's house. A tornado also dropped down in North Myrtle Beach, damaging nine condominiums. Also in North Myrtle Beach, around 4 ft (1.2 m) of storm surge flowed on Ocean Boulevard. Water could be seen rushing outside of the Medical University of South Carolina. About 215 road closures were reported across the state. Most road closures were due to flooding or fallen trees, including more than 13 road closures in Charleston County, where 10 of which were due to flooding, and another 13 in Dorchester County, where 10 were due to fallen trees. At least 248,000 customers of Dominion Energy lost power in the state. Over 500 trees were downed in the Charleston metropolitan area alone. A dozen boats broke their moorings and sank in the Charleston area. Severe beach erosion occurred on the Isle of Palms. Overall, more than 270,000 customers were without power in South Carolina. A peak rainfall of 15.21 in (386 mm) was recorded near Pawleys Island. A study by the College of Charleston completed on September 11 suggested that Dorian caused an estimated $58.6 million in losses to the tourism industry in Charleston. According to the POA in one neighborhood called Hilton Head Plantation on Hilton Head Island, six homes had roof damage and 50 trees were obstructing roadways.

A section of U.S. Route 17 was flooded; however, the route was not shut down. A tree split in half on Marion Square and fell onto Calhoun Street; however, the mess was soon cleaned up. Water in Charleston was reportedly "knee-high" in some streets. Three tornadoes were spawned in Horry County during the storm, with the most intense tornado being ranked an EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The most intense tornado caused roof damage to homes, lifted up docks, and uprooted trees, after traveling over 4.8 mi (7.7 km), causing over $200,000 in property damage. Along with this tornado, two EF0s were reported. One of them caused damage to a condominium and partially uprooted close to twelve dozen trees. The other EF0 tornado severely damaged two mobile homes, and left seven others with minor damage, while later bringing roof and facade damage to a condominium. The Waccamaw River in Conway crested at 14 ft (4.3 m), around 7 ft (2.1 m) lower than its record of 21 ft (6.4 m) during Hurricane Florence. At Drayton Hall, Dorian uprooted 30 trees, causing the property around $100,000 in damage. A part of a church's roof on James Island was ripped off during the storm. In DeBordieu, storm surge rushed through one neighborhood in the town. A family of six on Saint Helena Island said that they had lost their house and enclosures for over 200 animals. They had also said "It sounded like a freight train coming through the house". On South Island, 42 nests were destroyed, or around 7 percent of the total number of eggs laid on the island. On Sandy Island, 38 nests were destroyed, or around one-third of the total laid eggs.

North Carolina

The effects of Hurricane Dorian were extensive in North Carolina, but not as severe as 2018's Hurricane Florence. On September 4, the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) issued a Slight risk of severe weather for coastal sections of South Carolina, noting that tornadoes would be possible within arcing rainbands, or the outer parts of a hurricane, propagating away from Dorian's center. A Slight risk was likewise issued for coastal North Carolina on September 5. As a maritime warm front progressed northward into the coastal counties of North Carolina during the pre-dawn hours, rising temperatures and dew points contributed to an unstable atmosphere. An already-volatile wind shear environment was noted throughout the region, and the combination of these factors gave way to multiple training supercells—storms that tracked over the same areas repeatedly. The SPC accordingly raised an Enhanced risk later that morning, with an attendant 15% probability of a tornado within 25 miles (40 km) across eastern North Carolina. During the event, 22 tornadoes were confirmed across coastal sections of North Carolina, most short-lived and weak. However, two longer-lived tornadoes of EF2 intensity were confirmed in Sunset Beach and Emerald Isle, causing severe damage to multiple structures, inflicting at least $2 million in property damage.

In Brunswick County, heavy rainfall led to flash flooding that inundated neighborhoods near Leland. Small creeks flooded areas near Varnamtown and closed roads. U.S. Route 17 near Ocean Isle Beach was closed due to overflow throughout the morning hours of September 6. In Oak Island, 86 properties sustained damage, though only 3 of those were substantially impacted. In New Hanover County, sand dunes reconstructed after Hurricane Florence protected Carolina Beach from significant impacts, with only minor beach erosion noted. Similar effects were observed in Wrightsville Beach. At the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, high waves from the hurricane destroyed thirteen sea turtle nests. High water covered Route 117 in Castle Hayne with 2 ft (0.61 m) of water, with lesser values elsewhere. Several neighborhood streets in Wilmington were inundated, and the downtown area was flooded as portions of the Cape Fear River overflowed its banks. After a lull in heavy rainfall, a second bout of precipitation late on September 5 forced the closure of roadways throughout Castle Hayne, Wrightsboro, Wilmington, and Ogden. Only a few trees were toppled in this area; however, a 54-year-old man was killed while cutting a fallen tree on September 7. Effects were minimal in neighboring Pender County, where some county roads were closed due to flooding, but water receded quickly. Despite initial reports that Topsail Island gained sand during the hurricane, later assessments showed mild but consistent sand loss at local beaches. Farther inland, flash flooding resulted in the closure of several roads throughout Washington, Wilson, Johnston, Sampson, and Craven counties; some roads throughout these communities were washed out. Across Sampson County in particular, 15 roads were closed and a section of road was washed out near Clinton. Multiple stretches of Interstate 40 were inundated near the Sampson–Duplin County line north of Turkey. In Robeson County, a firefighter was injured when a tree fell on his vehicle. Two minor injuries were also reported in Johnston County when a vehicle struck a fallen tree. Wind damage was primarily limited to trees and tree limbs, which caused scattered power outages upon falling onto power lines. At the height of the power outages, about 5,000 people lost electricity in Johnston County, and an additional 2,445 people lost electricity in Wake County. Outages were even less prevalent across western sections of The Triangle, with 48 outages reported in Orange County and 26 in Durham County.

After narrow misses in coastal South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina, Hurricane Dorian continued toward the Outer Banks. The core scraped Atlantic Beach, where a small number of buildings suffered minor structural damage to their roofs, siding, or associated signs. Some areas in town were inundated by little more than 3 in (76 mm) of water. In nearby Beaufort, the Duke Marine Lab reported lost shingles, trees down, and a few areas of rainwater intrusion in several buildings. A peak wind gust of 110 mph (180 km/h) was measured at the Cedar Island Ferry Terminal in Cape Lookout. On Cedar Island, storm surge values of 4–6 ft (1.2–1.8 m) and rainfall rates up to 2 in (51 mm) an hour were recorded. The native horse population, typically accustomed to tropical cyclone impacts, succumbed to the rapid rise in water. At least 28 horses were presumed dead as the bodies of some washed ashore and others went missing. Throughout Carteret County, 42,000 people were left without power. Portsmouth reported major damage to 38 historic structures, as well as a cemetery that hosted some of the earliest settlers of the Outer Banks. The eye of Dorian continued northeast to a landfall on Cape Hatteras at 12:35 UTC on September 6. The hurricane pushed water from the Pamlico Sound onto Ocracoke Island, where storm surge values climbed to 6–7 ft (1.8–2.1 m). In just 10 minutes, water levels rose 5 ft (1.5 m), causing extensive damage to homes and businesses. Several hundred residents were stranded and resorted to climbing to their attics to avoid the rapidly-rising waters. Hundreds of vehicles were submerged there. On neighboring Hatteras Island, a 5.32 ft (1.62 m) surge, the second highest on record, inundated many homes and businesses between Buxton and Hatteras Village in several feet of water as wind gusts up to 101 mph (163 km/h) pushed water inland from the Pamlico Sound. The Cape Hatteras Secondary School was badly flooded and suffered damage to over a third of the structure.

Throughout Hyde and Dare counties, heavy rainfall prompted the issuance of flash flood emergencies. In the former county, flooding closed multiple roads. Extensive impacts were recorded throughout Dare County, with 1,126 structures damaged, resulting in property damage of approximately $14.75 million. Additional damage was inflicted on cars, boats, campers, and recreational vehicles, which were not a part of the assessed damage total. Trees were toppled and shingles were ripped off at both the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Strong east-northeasterly winds pushed water from the Atlantic Ocean into the Albemarle Sound, causing moderate flooding across Camden, Pasquotank, and Perquimans Counties, while also stranding vehicles. Flash flooding at Elizabeth City State University inundated campus streets and the interior entrances of several buildings. Water flowed into the Chowan River in Chowan County, with the gauge in Edenton reaching a maximum height of 3.85 ft (1.17 m). In extreme northeastern North Carolina, anomalous tides of 2.5–3.5 ft (0.76–1.07 m) caused moderate to major coastal flooding across Currituck County. Duck recorded water levels 7.2 ft (2.2 m) above average low tide levels. Access to the Outer Banks via Highway 168 was severed at high tide. A newly built solar farm was damaged in Grandy. In Kill Devil Hills, many homes and businesses were left without pieces of roofing. A quarter of the Avalon Pier was swept away.

Aftermath

South Carolina

In Myrtle Beach, a red jeep was found washed up in the sand on September 5, which became widely circulated on social media. On September 9, several Civil War-era cannonballs were discovered by a couple in Folly Beach. People were forced to distance themselves from the cannonballs while bomb experts hauled them away. On September 30, U.S. President Donald Trump approved a major disaster declaration for South Carolina as requested by Governor Henry McMaster on September 1. Trump also ordered the federal assistance to support emergency work, and to help replace the facilities that were damaged by the hurricane in Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Dillon, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper, Marion, and Williamsburg counties, covering damage costs from August 31—September 6. The Governor also planned to invest in $10 million (2019 USD) in the Medical District of Charleston to help fix the problem of flooding in the city. Under the FEMA Public Assistance Program, any state agencies, affected local governments, and a few private non-profit programs were able to apply for federal funding to pay around 75 percent of damages from the storm, including removing debris and repairing roads. Tourist rates dropped down across the state, forcing Hilton Head Island to request $175,000 (2019 USD) for a post—marketing marketing plan. Hotel occupancy rates also went down, including The Mariott Hilton Head Resort & Spa, which has 513 rooms, to only have eight occupied. Another hotel, The Sonesta Resort, only had around 20 to 30 percent of the full occupancy rate. The state overall lost around $117 million in total due to losses from visitor spending. On the Hunting Island State Park Island, 44 volunteers from the Friends of Hunting Island organization came to the park, cleaning up the debris left behind. A dumpster pushed into the Little River after Dorian had not been taken out of the place for months, and the owner of the dumpster was not found. A grand opening for a Panera Bread was delayed after water damage. Many sea turtle nests were destroyed during Dorian, with only a couple thousand of turtles estimated to have survived the storm.

A buoy originally from Port Royal Sound in Beaufort County was discovered on the shore of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, around 14 mi (23 km) south of Daytona Beach, Florida, after being displaced. A family visiting Fripp Island was walking along the beach when they discovered a large package. Upon opening it, they found around 44 lb (20 kg) of cocaine inside it, with a value of $600,000 in total. It was suspected that Dorian's storm surge pushed it ashore, though its origin is still unknown. Drayton Hall raised $250,000 for recovery efforts after the storm. Hilton Head Island saw a 133% increase in snake bites after the storm, with the most common snake-biter being a copperhead snake. Dorian may have also contributed in pushing some birds north into Canada from the Southeastern United States, including a pelican named Ralph, which was pushed onto Cape Breton Island. Pawleys Island underwent a beach nourishment project after Dorian brought sand prices down, restoring around 140 ft (43 m) of land. The City of Charleston sued 24 oil and pipeline firms, saying that they had been directly responsible for causing more damaging and frequent floods. John Tecklenburg, the mayor of Charleston, reported that public work crews from Columbia and Greenville were helping to restore traffic signals. The town of Mount Pleasant considered putting more power lines underground after Dorian took out power to thousands in the town. A couple of dozen people showed up at the John McKissick Field at the Summerville High School, after Dorian damaged the state championship board, the goal post, the 25-second clock, and part of a fence in the end zone of the field. In Beaufort County, no schools lost power or water, and thus reopened on September 9, 2019.

Henry McMaster, the Governor of the state, created a 56-person flood commission group to find out why floods in South Carolina became more chronic and damaging, after Dorian brought severe flooding to parts of South Carolina. The South Carolina Department of Transportation after the storm hoped to repair all road signs within two months; however, more vital signs, such as stop signs, were the first priority to fix. Despite some damages in Charleston, most businesses in the city were ready to open up by September 7 or September 8 in the area. Dorian closed the beach at Pawleys Island for months; however, police on the island shared a video of a man removing the beach access barrier to get to the beach at around 6:40 in the evening on March 25, 2020. The storm also "ruffled up the waters", or changed the oxygen level in the ocean waters, which also changed the amount of shrimp that could be caught. This is due to the fact that a certain amount of dissolved oxygen is required for shrimp catching, and storms have repeatedly demonstrated the ability to alter the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water. A meeting took place in Horry County, due to the problem of flooding near South Carolina Highway 90, and also that of rezoning, due to the flooding from previous hurricanes in addition to that caused by Dorian.

North Carolina

In the wake of the storm, Governor Roy Cooper and State House Speaker Tim Moore toured the damage in the Outer Banks, and also throughout Carteret County. On September 14, the Governor sought a disaster declaration for the state; an additional request for federal assistance was sent one week later. More than 8,000 army and air National Guardsmen were mobilized in response to Hurricane Dorian. National Guard members and emergency officials crossed the Pamlico Sound by ferry, arriving on Ocracoke Island with cargo and fuel trucks, generators, and pallets of supplies beginning on September 7. Statewide, 80 roads were closed throughout North Carolina. Two 500 ft (150 m) sections of Highway 12—the primary highway connecting the islands and peninsulas of the Outer Banks—were badly damaged. The North Carolina Department of Transportation reported that Dorian inflicted $40–50 million in damage to roads, with $25–30 million to primary roads and $16–20 million to secondary roads, including $4–5 million to Highway 12 alone. The organization sought funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to pay for the damage, having depleted their resources in the wake of multiple lawsuits and the short succession of hurricanes Matthew and Florence. Duke Energy reported that 288,000 customers had their power restored in the wake of the storm. Coastal assessments found at least 54 new inlets cutting from the Atlantic into the Core Sound throughout the Outer Banks. At least 20–25% of the state's crop industry was destroyed, particularly the tobacco crop. Dorian compounded disastrous losses accrued during hurricanes Matthew and Florence from previous years. The National Park Service Incident Management Team deployed 68 employees to survey the aftermath, reporting structural damage to the Long Point cabin camp, which ultimately decided to cancel reservations for the remainder of the season. By September 9, 1,500 residents remained without power. A medical team, an emergency manager, and 100 National Guard members remained on Ocracoke Island to assist in recovery efforts. For weeks after the storm, island officials decided to limit access to residents, non-resident homeowners, and other personnel approved by Hyde County. On Hatteras Island, access was impossible through September 7, as 39 roadways in coastal communities remained closed. Spirit Airlines lost over $25 million, due to flights being cancelled because of Dorian.

A North Carolina–based Lowe's sent 30 specially-trained employees to the coastline for relief work, and the company donated $1 million to aid in Dorian relief efforts. Animal rescue groups saved 109 injured or orphaned squirrels, after the storm destroyed their nests. Walmart gave $500,000 in donations to the Bahamas, North Carolina, and South Carolina to help those areas recover from Hurricane Dorian.