Hurricane Dorian pounds North Myrtle Beach: Tornadoes, heavy winds damage area

The North Myrtle Beach area was on the receiving end of some of the worst weather connected to Hurricane Dorian passing through the Grand Strand on Thursday.

There were multiple reports of tornadoes and wind gusts causing extensive damage to different communities.

Several tornadoes touched down in the North Myrtle Beach area, according to Spokesman Pat Dowling. ”There’s been a spurt of them,” he said.

Dowling said there was reported tornado damage at apartments on West Port Drive and a mobile home park on Circle Drive.

There’s already been five to six inches of rain, but no reported injuries, Dowling said Thursday morning.

Trees were downed and siding was torn off buildings at the Carolina Keyes West Port condominium complex.

Jackie Wilkin, who lives a few buildings away from the damage, said her husband, Jim, heard the tornado Thursday about 7 a.m.

“It almost sounded like a train,” Jim Wilkin said.

Jackie Wilkin said the couple has lived in Carolina Keyes for 16 years.

“I’ve never witnessed this anywhere,” she said.

Residents in Little River said they believe a tornado touched down near them, too. A fallen tree hung over Bayshore Drive off of U.S. Highway 17.

Jack and Linda Hodgkiss live on Bayshore Drive and said power had been out since about 4:30 a.m.

They’ve lived there for six years, and were on a pre-planned vacation when Hurricane Florence hit in 2018. This year, they decided to wait out the storm at home.

“The thing is, you can’t get back if you leave,” Linda Hodgkiss said. “That’s the problem.”

On the North Myrtle Beach shorefront, people were getting a last look at the water before heading inside.

John Ross Hammond said his power had been out since midnight, so he came to the beach to surf. He got waist-high in the water before deciding the waves were too rough.

“They’re not crashing right,” he said. “It would not be good.”

Adam and Alicia Snead took their twin daughters Jamesy and Isabel, both 11, to the beach ahead of the storm.

“We decided this was our last moment to get out and see what the ocean is doing,” Alicia Snead said.

Adam and Alicia have lived in North Myrtle Beach since 1995. They’ve been through storms before, but said Dorian has been different so far.

“This one’s kind of changing a little,” Adam Snead said. “It’s not quite what was predicted.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2019 at 9:48 AM.