Refrigerated Trailer for Rent in Beaufort, SC

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Expected to reach Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, the predicted incoming impacts for Hurricane Helene triggered a tropical storm watch for the Lowcountry.

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After a night of heavy, whistling winds and widespread power outages across the county, Hilton Head Island emerged from the storm largely unscathed. In fact, the island was as lively as ever.

Residents and visitors were out and about in large numbers in the Coligny Beach area, chatting over the noise of workers’ leaf blowers and trees rustling in the still-strong wind. Bicyclists navigated through paths and parking lots strewn with leaves and tree branches. Business owners launched cleanup efforts, preparing for the surge of customers that would come with the warm weekend.

Hilton Head dodged the brunt of overnight damage from Helene, which was downgraded to a tropical storm early Friday morning as it launched a deadly onslaught in Florida and Georgia. With most of its electric lines located underground, the island was safe from the on-and-off power outages that still plagued surrounding areas well into Friday morning.

And while the storm system already promised pricey rehabilitation efforts in northern Beaufort County — washing boats into backyards, damaging docks and flooding Beaufort’s waterfront park — damage appeared minimal on Hilton Head. With a broom and some determination, most evidence of the previous night’s conditions could be swept away by the morning’s end.

Crews from Hilton Head Island Fire Rescue responded to about 40 storm-related incidents between midnight and 9 a.m. Friday. The agency reported 35 downed trees, two of which damaged buildings, according to spokesperson Joheida Fister.

Dozens of walkers and bicyclists on Coligny Beach braved the continuing strong winds Friday morning, even with small children and dachshunds in tow. At times, gusts reached above 30 mph on the low-tide sands, which were littered with seaweed and other small pieces of debris.

Pittsburgh natives Ted and Andrea Swoger had vacationed in Hilton Head for about 20 years, but Helene was the first real storm they experienced on the island. They began their stay at the Seaside Villas at the beginning of the week and didn’t think once about cutting it short due to the weather.

“We walked the beach this morning like we always do, just to see what was happening,” Andrea Swoger said. “We didn’t have any bad experience.”

After their walk, the Swogers sat down for breakfast at Sweet Al’s Cafe, watching Hilton Head wake up around them.

“Looks like the island’s up early, cleaning up,” Andrea Swoger said with a smile.

This story was originally published September 27, 2024, 11:47 AM.

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Expected to reach Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, the predicted incoming impacts for Hurricane Helene triggered a tropical storm watch for the Lowcountry.

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Local schools, government services and businesses rapidly announced closures and delays Thursday before Hurricane Helene was posed to batter Florida’s Big Bend region, residual bringing the threat of high winds and tornadoes to the Hilton Head Island area. Meteorologists predict the worst of the storm will hit Beaufort County beginning Thursday evening and overnight Friday.

This list of closures and delays will be constantly updated as the week progresses.

Beaufort County School District: All Beaufort County public school facilities will be closed Friday and classes will be held online, the district announced just before noon on Thursday. After-school activities Thursday were canceled, but activities set for Friday afternoon would continue as scheduled.

Technical College of the Lowcountry: In-person classes canceled after 5 p.m. Thursday and all day Friday; normal operations resuming 8 a.m. Monday

University of South Carolina Beaufort: Classes after 5 p.m. Thursday moved to e-learning; all classes and university offices will “operate normally” Friday.

Mathnasium of Bluffton: Closed Thursday.

May River Montessori School: Closed Friday.

Lowcountry Day Preschool: Closing at 2 p.m. Thursday; closed Friday.

Ivybrook Academy: Closed Friday.

Kids College: Closing at 2:30 p.m. Thursday; closed Friday.

The Children’s Center: Closed Friday.

Limitless Pediatric Solutions: Closed Friday.

SliderBar Bluffton: Closing at 3 p.m. Thursday.

Beaufort County Auditor’s Bluffton office: Closed Friday.

Beaufort County offices: Closed Friday.

Beaufort County Convenience Centers: Closed Friday; normal operations expected Saturday.

Beaufort Magistrate Court: Facilities open Friday; all Friday preliminary hearings rescheduled for Oct. 11.

Bluffton Waste Management: Lowcountry Hauling and WM Brunswick Hauling services working Thursday and Friday; route delays expected Friday.

Palmetto Breeze Transit: Friday routes delayed by three hours; all other services “will operate as scheduled.”

City of Hardeeville offices: Closed Friday.

Low Country Shrimp and Knits: Closing at 5 p.m. Thursday

To add your own business or other closure information to this list, email us at newsroom@islandpacket.com.

This story was originally published September 26, 2024, 2:35 PM.

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Expected to reach Florida’s Big Bend region late Thursday, the predicted incoming impacts for Hurricane Helene triggered a tropical storm watch for the Lowcountry.

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Following Helene intensifying into a Category 1 hurricane mid-morning Wednesday, Beaufort County was upgraded to a tropical storm warning, according to the National Weather Service’s Charleston Office.

The warning was triggered at 11 a.m. and indicates that tropical storm-force winds are expected somewhere in the area — Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head Island — within the next 36 hours.

The tropical storm warning was set to expire at 1:15 a.m. Thursday. On Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Henry McMaster issued a State of Emergency to ensure the “Team South Carolina has the necessary resources in place to respond to these potential impacts.”

“Although South Carolina will likely avoid the brunt of Hurricane Helene’s impacts, the storm is still expected to bring dangerous flooding, high winds, and isolated tornadoes to many parts of the state,” McMaster said in a statement.

At 4 p.m. Wednesday, Hurricane Helene was 460 miles south-southwest of Tampa, Florida, moving north at 12 mph and packing 85 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The center of Helene would pass near the northeastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula on Wednesday morning, churn across the eastern Gulf of Mexico on later Wednesday and Thursday, and reach the Big Bend coast of Florida late Thursday, according to NHC computer models. Hurricane Helene will “rapidly strengthen” over the eastern Gulf of Mexico and become a “major hurricane” Thursday.

The NWS said Hurricane Helene was likely to bring strong winds, heavy rain and rough seas to the Lowcountry. During an NWS briefing Wednesday, Meteorologist Ron Morales said there were no significant changes in Helene’s track, which meant the forecasters’ confidence of expected impacts to the area had increased.

Winds driven by Hurricane Helene could reach between 39 and 57 mph beginning Thursday afternoon in the Lowcountry, leading to downed and/or uprooted trees, isolated-to-scattered power outages and debris-filled roads, according to the NWS.

Morales said Wednesday evening that Beaufort County would get up to 55 mph wind gusts, starting Thursday and lasting through Friday morning.

Tornadoes are a concern for Thursday night, the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said. And the twisters are the greatest impact Beaufort County could get from Helene, Morales said during a Wednesday evening briefing.

The Storm Prediction Center has identified a slight risk of severe weather for areas south and east of Interstate 20, and an enhanced risk — level 3 of 5 — for the far southern part of the state.

Morales said the service was becoming more concerned about tornadoes, because the current environment is a “very good setup” for tornadoes to form. The highest threat for tornadoes is within stronger rain bands.

“We expect the radar to get a lot busier a lot busier later tonight and certainly tomorrow, as we start getting into the actual rain bands of circulation,” Morales said.

Frank Strait, the state’s severe weather liaison, said a tornado outbreak at night is “never a good thing,” as people are usually sleeping and miss warnings.

“It’s important to have tornado preparations in place ahead of Helene,” Strait said. “Decide on your best shelter area in advance, as you might not get much lead time. Tropical tornadoes often hit fast without much lead time on warnings.”

Beaufort County does not have tornado sirens, so ensure you have a way to get alerts for tornado watches and warnings.

Storm surge between 1 and 3 feet above ground was possible starting Wednesday, with the greatest impacts Thursday. The surge could cause localized flooding in low-lying areas, washing of streets and roads near the coast and minor-to-moderate beach erosion.

On Thursday and into Friday morning, there will be a threat of high surf and deadly rip currents, the NWS said. Seas could build 6 to 15 feet, with 9 to 17 feet as the highest. Winds and wind gusts of up to 55 knots are possible.

Beginning 8 p.m. Wednesday and lasting through 8 p.m. Friday, up to 2 inches of rain could fall in Beaufort County.

This story was originally published September 25, 2024, 11:30 AM.

The Island Packet

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Sarah Haselhorst, a St. Louis native, writes about climate issues along South Carolina’s coast. Her work is produced with financial support from Journalism Funding Partners. Previously, Sarah spent time reporting in Jackson, Mississippi; Cincinnati, Ohio; and mid-Missouri.

With long lines forming at early voting polls, voters in Beaufort County may find that casting their ballot in the late afternoon will save them the most time.

Early voting in the county is available from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, from Oct. 21 to Nov. 2., according to the county’s website. As of the third day of early voting in Beaufort County, 10% of registered voters — or about 12,600 residents — have already cast their ballots, said Marie Smalls, the director of the board of voter registration and elections for Beaufort County.

In South Carolina, early voting saw a record-breaking turnout on opening day, according to the state’s election committee. However, for the county, Smalls said it is challenging to make direct comparisons to previous years since this is only the second time the state has offered early voting since 2022.

“We kind of expected a high turnout, and I think for Beaufort County, it’s probably a little bit higher than expected,” Smalls said. “But I’m so happy that it is what it is.”

Early morning hours — around 7 to 8 a.m. — typically see the longest lines, Smalls said. Midday tends to offer a break, with shorter wait times, though lines pick up again in the early afternoon. Residents who are looking to avoid crowds should go to poll locations around late afternoons, particularly from 5 to 6 p.m., she said.

Polling locations specifically in Bluffton and Hilton Head have seen a steady turnout, Smalls said, with average wait times on Monday reaching no longer than 1 to 1.5 hours but decreasing since then.

Beaufort County offers four early voting centers:

Smalls encourages voters to check their sample ballots and verify their Election Day polling locations through the MyscVOTES website. To vote, residents will need to bring a qualifying ID, which may include a South Carolina driver’s license, motor vehicles ID card, voter registration card with photo, federal military ID or U.S. passport, according to the state’s election commission website.

She also emphasized that strict measures are in place to prevent voter fraud, and local election officials are confident in the integrity of the system.

This story was originally published October 24, 2024, 10:56 AM.

Internet outages were reported across Beaufort County Monday morning. Customers were still without service as of 5 p.m.

Sgt. Danny Allen of the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that internet was down throughout the region.

Non-emergency dispatch and 9-1-1 was still working, however.

At 12:45 p.m., Sparklight reported that “a portion of Hargray customers are experiencing slow internet or internet outages due to fiber damage caused by a third-party.”

“Technicians are working diligently to get services restored as quickly and safely as possible,” Sparklight said on Facebook. “We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate your patience. We will provide updates here as information becomes available.”

Hargray rebranded as Sparklight in August.

Teachers also reported the internet being down in Beaufort County public schools.

The city of Beaufort said at 11:15 a.m. that its facilities were all without internet services.

Downdetector.com showed outages across South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

In the Lowcountry, Sparklight serves Beaufort, Bluffton, Hilton Head and Hardeeville.

When the announcement was made in August that Hargray was changing to Sparklight, the two companies said they were “focused on delivering even more: cutting-edge technology, exceptional customer service, and a commitment to connecting you to what matters most.”

The outage was having a major impact on area businesses who rely on the internet for credit card transactions and phone service.

Many businesses reported the outage on Facebook and asked customers to contact them by cell phone.

Despite the countywide Wi-Fi outage affecting residents and businesses, public networks at the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) and the Technical College of the Lowcountry (TCL) remain operational, according to school representatives.

“Our public Wi-Fi network is still working,” said USCB spokesperson Carol Weir. “People who had access to that are still able to connect to their Blackboard.”

TCL reported similar connectivity for its campus.

“Students are welcome to come on campus and use our internet,” said Leigh Copeland, TCL’s assistant vice president for marketing and public relations.

This story was originally published September 23, 2024, 11:53 AM.