Stay or go: Myrtle Beach campground residents make calls on riding out Hurricane Dorian
Ellen McClinton went through Hurricane Hugo and is not taking a chance with Hurricane Dorian.
“It’s not something you ever get complacent about,” she said as she loaded her car with supplies ahead of leaving Myrtle Beach.
McClinton and other residents of Myrtle Beach KOA Resort campground were deciding on Tuesday whether to stay at the tree-lined site or to head away from Hurricane Dorian’s path. The area of permanent homes in the park remained full, but the areas for visitors or short term RVs were pretty much cleared out by Tuesday morning.
“I can lose everything,” McClinton said, standing outside her camper. “But, not my life.”
When the storm hits, McClinton said she plans on waiting it out on Pawleys Island, where she’ll be in a traditional home. If that becomes dicey, she said she plans to head to Columbia.
Others said they had plenty of supplies, little fear and planned to wait out Hurricane Dorian.
“I don’t think it’s gonna be too bad,” said Mintzie Wilkerson. The Weather Channel played in the background of her camper as her 12-year-old dog, Mudflap, ran on the porch. She said she feels the hurricane will bring wind and rain, but nothing too damaging.
“My sister is raising Cain at me for not leaving,” Wilkerson said.
A third group of residents — the undecideds such as Annie Kornbau and her husband, Jeff — were still on the fence on whether they should evacuate. Jeff wants to stay, but Annie clearly wants to evacuate.
“I just don’t want to be stuck in there for hours praying for daylight,” Annie Kornbau said.
If they do stay, Annie Kornbau said they have enough food and can always switch from electric power to gasoline.
Last year Hurricane Florence caused havoc in the Myrtle Beach area, but Kornbau said there was only minimal damage at the campground and it could be cleaned with a few hours of yard work.
“We were so fortunate all it took was a rake,” said Annie Kornbau. “If a rake does it, I’d be happy.”
This story was originally published September 3, 2019 at 6:29 PM.
