Isaias caused damage to North Myrtle Beach dunes. Here’s what may be done to fix them.
Sand dunes damaged by Hurricane Isaias may need to be replenished, and with Gov. McMaster failing to declare a state of emergency, getting federal dollars to help is unlikely.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is assessing the damage done to Grand Strand beaches after Hurricane Isaias made landfall near the South Carolina coast Monday night, causing flooding and beach erosion, mostly in North Myrtle Beach.
Large portions of sand dunes in North Myrtle beach were stripped away by the storm surge. But ultimately, the dunes did their job, according to Lt. Col. Rachel Honderd, a US Army Corps of Engineers commander.
“The dunes did exactly what they were supposed to do; they protected the infrastructure that is behind the dunes,” Honderd said. “And while there is some damage down the way it is clear that no dunes failed.”
The dunes were replenished just last year after storms like Hurricane Florence in 2018 and Irma in 2017 caused enough erosion for federal money to be used to replenish the beaches.
To receive federal funding, there must be a disaster declaration from the state and the benefits must exceed the cost, according to Wes Wilson, an Army Corps project manager who oversaw the renourishment last year.
The $45 million beach renourishment was finished just before Hurricane Dorian passed the area last September.
Dorian didn’t cause enough sand loss for more work to be done, according to Glenn Jeffries, a Corps spokeswoman. But when coupled with more damage caused by Isaias, the beaches may need to be replenished again. That decision has not yet been made.
The last beach renovation project cost ($45) million.
Beach renourishment projects typically only occur every 7-10 years, but they’ve become more regular occurrences on Grand Strand beaches in recent years due to high-impact storms.
Honderd and her team surveyed the beaches for damage Tuesday afternoon and will look at pre-storm data to determine whether further work is necessary.
The good news? Honderd said since the dunes were just replenished last year, the Corps has a good reference point for how they looked and functioned pre-Isaias.
“We have some pretty up-to-date data that we can analyze to actually do that determination,” she said.
Hurricane Isaias caused flooding in the Cherry Grove area in North Myrtle Beach where water levels reached almost 3 feet and caused minor flooding damage to garages and cars.
Meanwhile, chunks of the Sea Cabin Pier washed up on the beach Tuesday morning after winds from the storm ripped a part of the pier off.
Tommy Fennel, branch chief of the Conway field office, said although the pier is privately owned, that the Corps of Engineers can expedite the process to rebuild it if the owner has the necessary permits.
“If there’s going to be no modification to the original footprint, then the authorization is expedited within a few months,” he said.
This story was originally published August 6, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
