Myrtle Beach area businesses, residents along beach brace for Tropical Storm Isaias

Myrtle Beach area residents and businesses owners were bracing for possible impacts of Tropical Storm Isaias as it’s forecast to strengthen to a hurricane before reaching the Grand Strand.

Tropical storm-force winds are likely as the storm is expected to make landfall Monday evening into Tuesday morning. The chance for damaging winds was 40-70%, according to the National Weather Service.

Hotels and businesses along Ocean Boulevard in Myrtle Beach were preparing for heavy winds, but weren’t boarding up windows or taking other drastic measures because the storm wasn’t predicted to be too severe. At best, it is expected to be a Category 1 hurricane when it reaches land.

Jeremy Philo, grounds manager for Caribbean Resort & Villas and Sea Captain’s House restaurant in Myrtle Beach, began tying down lounge chairs and other pool furniture, and removing hanging baskets and patio furniture on hotel balconies at 5 a.m. Monday.

“Anything that can move we tie down or bring inside,” Philo said.

Boat captains added extra padding and reinforcements in preparation Monday morning alongside residents fishing off piers and taking morning walks. For some, it was business as usual.

“Prepping, that’s all we do, all we can do,” said Todd Pascoe, captain of the Pie Eyed Parrot boat in Murrells Inlet.

He was tying down loose furniture and securing what he could, but made note that he didn’t feel it was necessary to move the boat further inland. Likewise, Howie Strickland, captain of the Explorer in Murrells Inlet at Crazy Sister Marina, said Isaias doesn’t seem strong enough to warrant relocating the boat. That’s usually a move for a Category 2 hurricane or higher, he said. For some, it can be time-consuming and expensive to move a boat offshore, taking up to four hours each way.

Strickland said his family has been in the area for nearly 100 years, and they know the drill by now.

Employees in North Myrtle Beach spent part of the morning removing plants from posts ahead of the storm.

In Garden City Beach, businesses prepped for uncertain impacts of Isaias as roads showed signs of flooding as early as 7:30 Monday morning.

The Pier at Garden City employees brought in outdoor furniture and secured umbrellas as they prepared to close from Monday afternoon through Tuesday afternoon.

Kathy Spivey, an employee, said she doesn’t expect too much of a loss in business unless the pier loses power, which she doesn’t expect with the current forecast of Isaias. She said it’s nothing out of the ordinary for the business, “just the normal crap.”

Further north up the Strand, North Myrtle Beach city employees removed hanging plants from light posts along Main Street in preparation for strong winds.

It’s an unusually early storm for the area, as hurricane warnings aren’t usually issued until late August.

“I don’t like it when they come early. All my flowers usually get destroyed,” Philo said. “You can see all these flowers like the begonias are just huge and beautiful right now. We’ll come in tomorrow and they’ll probably be flattened. We’ll see.”

This story was originally published August 3, 2020 at 10:16 AM.