Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
The Island Packet
Photos: Hilton Head tourists and residents weather storm at beaches, piers and stores
By Mary Dimitrov,
12 days ago
Genee Leonard’s son-in-law isn’t scoring any brownie points this week. He booked the family’s Hilton Head vacation the same week Tropical Storm Debby is expected to hit .
The two families’ five children were cloaked in wet towels and shivering, but the pouring rain didn’t stop them from running down to the water at Coligny Beach. The Leonards aren’t the only ones. There were “a ton” of others Monday morning, according to the much drier beach patrol employee sitting in his pickup truck.
Shore Beach Service , the town’s contracted lifeguard company, will have pickup trucks stationed on island beaches from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the storm, according to Operations Manager Mike Wagner. Patrols are chiefly looking for people getting in the water or attempting to get in the water. “We tell them not to,” Wagner said. Storms can cause strong longshore currents, quickly and dangerously carrying swimmers down the coast.
Genee Leonard’s family brave the winds and rain from Tropical Storm Debby at Coligny Beach on August. 5, 2024 on Hilton Head Island. Leonard and her family drove down to Hilton Head from West Virginia and will be here for the duration of the storm. Drew Martin/dmartin@islandpacket.com
The five Leonard children didn’t need to be told twice. The closest they went to the water was dipping their toes in. Genee said their vacation from West Virginia will consist of many card games and much family time, especially because Hilton Head park facilities will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
While the kids’ first time on Hilton Head beaches isn’t what they expected, they’re trying to take advantage of what the island offers. “We hear there’s an arcade,” Genee said.
Marla Muraski was concerned about the potential for flooding from tropical Storm Debby at Coligny Beach on August. 5, 2024 on Hilton Head Island. Muraski recently moved to the Lowcountry from Boston with her family and two dogs. Drew Martin/dmartin@islandpacket.com
For others, like Marla Muraski, it’s not their first time on Hilton Head beaches but their first hurricane season as an island resident. The storm is quite the welcome committee: Mursaki, her husband, son and two Labrador retrievers moved down from New Jersey last month.
“I’m more concerned about the floods than anything else,” she said. The pooches are too, despite being a water breed, she said, “They’re prima donnas.”
Through Thursday, there is the potential for about 20 inches of rain, with the possibility of local amounts of up to 30 inches, according to updated maps from the National Weather Service’s Charleston Office. Mursaki said her family has stocked up on food, water and candles. They’re ready for the storm and for the rain to clear over the upcoming weekend.
Unfortunately for the Leonards, they drive home on Thursday.
“They’ve had enough, they’re coming in,” Genee said as her grandchildren ran back from the beach.
Take a look at The Island Packet’s photos from Monday:
Genee Leonard stands for photo sheltering from tropical Storm Debby at the Dunes Pavilion at Beach House Hilton Head Island on August. 5, 2024 on Hilton Head Island. Leonard and her family drove down to Hilton Head from West Virginia for the first time and will be here for the duration of the storm. Drew Martin/dmartin@islandpacket.com Visiting from Virginia, a woman leaves the C.C. Haig Point Landing during Tropical Storm Debby on August. 5, 2024 on Pinckney Island. Drew Martin/dmartin@islandpacket.com Sand bags are available to those staying on the beach level at Beach House Hilton Head Island at Coligny Beach on August. 5, 2024 on Hilton Head Island. Drew Martin/dmartin@islandpacket.com With rain pelting from Tropical Storm Debby, a man stop to help a woman put her water back onto her cart on Aug. 5, 2024 at Belfair Towne Village in Bluffton. Drew Martin/dmartin@islandpacket.com A couple tries to decide if they want to go to the beach to brave the winds and rain from Tropical Storm Debby on Aug. 5, 2024 on Hilton Head Island. Drew Martin/dmartin@islandpacket.com
Get updates delivered to you daily. Free and customizable.
It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency:
Our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. As a platform hosting over 100,000 pieces of content published daily, we cannot pre-vet content, but we strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation.
Comments / 0