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The Island Packet
Residents of Hilton Head area see downed trees, washed-out roads and damage from Debby
By Evan McKenna,
6 days ago
As potentially record-breaking rainfall picked up in Beaufort County overnight, firefighters and law enforcement responded to hundreds of calls related to Tropical Storm Debby . Flooding is widespread in several areas, but no major injuries were reported as of Tuesday morning.
To share photos of storm damage or advise our reporters about flooded or dangerous areas, email newsroom@islandpacket.com after reporting conditions to the proper authorities.
Hilton Head
Dunnagans Alley: The roadway parallel to U.S. 278 experienced flooding Monday night but was driveable as of Tuesday morning, according to Joheida Fister, a spokesperson for Hilton Head Fire Rescue.
Michael Miller and his two children walk on Bay Pines Drive on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. His house isn’t flooded, but the people in home they’re standing in front of evacuated yesterday. “Our home is sitting up higher than these guys,” Miller said. Mary Dimitrov
A large buildup of water atop the BP gas station near the Hilton Head bridges caused the roof to collapse. No one was inside at the time and no injuries were reported, according to Stephen Combs, a spokesperson for the Bluffton Township Fire District.
At the BP gas station just west of the Hilton Head bridges, a large accumulation of rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby caused the building’s roof to cave in. No one was inside the building at the time, according to the Bluffton Township Fire District. Courtesy of Stephen Combs
As of Tuesday morning, officials were not sure what time the roof had collapsed. The minimart was constructed in 1984 and was well-known by travelers as the final landmark before crossing over to the island.
Bluffton
U.S. 278/S.C. 170 interchange: The on-ramp from S.C. 170 (Okatie Highway) to U.S. 278 (Fording Island Road) remained closed as of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday as rainwater continued to pool onto the often-flooded interchange.
The on-ramp from S.C. 170 to U.S. 278 closed Monday evening and remained blocked off Tuesday morning as rainwater from Tropical Storm Debby continued to gather in the area. Beaufort County Traffic Cameras
The Farm at Buckwalter: The low-lying neighborhood in southern Bluffton has been the epicenter of flood-related calls, according to Combs. Police are asking residents to stay home as multiple portions of the community, especially near its center, are blanketed in water:
Mill Pond Road
Old Bridge Drive
Cattle Run Way
A photo taken on Cattle Run Way in The Farm at Buckwalter, a large neighborhood of townhomes in southern Bluffton, shows the roadway blanketed with water as Tropical Storm Debby continued its deluge in the Beaufort County area. Courtesy of Stephen Combs
Floodwater had entered several houses in The Farm as of Tuesday morning, Combs said, partly because cars moving through the water were creating waves and pushing it farther up. He urged residents to avoid driving or walking in floodwater for the safety of themselves and others.
Floodwaters reached over sidewalks and halfway up roadside fences in The Farm at Buckwalter, a low-lying community in southern Bluffton. A photo taken Tuesday morning at the intersection of Old Bridge Drive and Mill Pond Road shows the extent of the neighborhood’s flooding as Tropical Storm Debby continued to bring huge amounts of rain to the Beaufort County area. Courtesy of Olivia Boyles
Bluffton Park: Avoid Red Cedar Street, 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue. A nearby lagoon has begun to spill over into the street, according to Bluffton police .
Officials in Bluffton were reporting no major injuries as of Tuesday morning, according to Combs. Even when a car hydroplaned into a retention pond in the Hampton Hall community Monday night, the driver escaped safely.
Port Royal
Castle Rock Road: Authorities had closed portions of the roadway east of its intersection with S.C. 170, a commonly flooded area.
Abberly Pointe Apartment Homes: Entrance not accessible Tuesday morning due to flooding
Firefighters in Port Royal responded to a dozen storm-related calls overnight, including one fallen tree that brought minor damage to a home but did not displace residents, according to spokesperson Assistant Chief Ross Vezin.
A fallen tree atop a golf cart at a home on Old Shell Road in Port Royal, South Carolina, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024. Karl Puckett
Unincorporated Beaufort County
Trask Parkway (U.S. 21) at Keans Neck Road: Reduced to one lane northbound and one lane southbound due to flooding
Rice Shire Road between Bees Creek Road and Coosaw Scenic Drive
Coosaw Scenic Drive north of Salzburg Landing Road
Bees Creek Road between Rice Shire Road and Kyle Lane
Langfordville Road: Ridgeland resident George Tallmage reported a large washout near the back road’s intersection with Firetower Road, about two miles off of U.S. 278.
A rush of floodwater created a washout in northern Jasper County on Langfordville Road, east of its intersection with State Road S-27-87 (Firetower Road). Courtesy of George Tallmage
In Hardeeville, police are reporting flooding in the following areas:
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