On the Lowcountry’s barrier islands, those who didn’t evacuate haunt ‘ghost towns’

As S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster’s mandatory evacuation order for Beaufort County’s barrier islands went into effect Saturday morning ahead of Hurricane Irma, some residents of those islands were still deciding whether to leave.

Some said they were staying, no matter what.

And some expressed frustration over McMaster’s nearly two-hour-late press conference Friday night, when the order was finally announced.

On Hilton Head Island’s north end, Anthony Johnson and Quintin Smalls said they were staying put.

“It’s just one of those things you have to (decide) on faith,” Smalls said Saturday morning.

He and Johnson said about half the folks in their neighborhood had evacuated.

“It looks like 50-50,” Johnson said. “A lot of people left early.”

Robert “Moose” Rini, in Wexford on Hilton Head, said he, too, was staying.

“I’m not evacuating, but I’m watching (Irma) closely,” he said in a text message. “I’m located in the middle of the island and my house is built up high.”

He estimated about 80 percent of his neighbors had already left and said others were planning to leave.

He said McMaster could have done a better job of coordinating with local hospitals and local officials.

“Also, (McMaster) should have his (news conferences) shortly after the weather updates, not an hour before the next one,” Rini said. (The National Hurricane Center updates its forecast on Irma every three hours.)

On Hilton Head off Dillon Road, Mariela Gasperotti, Mirta Ruggeri, Dario Iudica and their families were packing their cars and preparing to leave.

They made the final decision Friday night, they said, though they’d boarded up their houses two days ago. They also evacuated for Hurricane Matthew.

They said most of their neighbors and friends had left earlier, or were doing so today.

Gasperotti, who works at Haig Point on Daufuskie, confirmed what others on the island have said — most folks on Daufuskie have already left. Gasperotti said her employers, who stayed there during Hurricane Matthew, evacuated ahead of Irma.

“This time we were more prepared,” she said.

“We learned from last time,” Iudica said.

When asked why she decided to leave, Gasperotti said: “My kids.”

Carlos Encarnacion and his family were doing some yard work in front of their house on Mitchellville Road on Saturday morning.

He said they would likely leave either today or tomorrow. They evacuated to Estill last year ahead of Matthew.

“We were waiting for the governor’s response and waiting to see what the weather would do,” Encarnacion said when asked what prompted their decision to leave.

On Daufuskie Island, James Bays also said he was staying, along with about 30 other island residents.

Bays said the island was “a ghost town” Friday night.

He said his residence was 18 feet above sea level. He said he has batteries, food, a generator and other supplies, and is prepared to live without electricity.

“I appreciate (McMaster) having the press conferences each day this past week, but yesterday I was very disappointed when we were told (Friday night) about the mandatory evacuation at 7:45 p.m., not 6 p.m. like originally scheduled,” Bays said.

The last ferry from Daufuskie to the mainland will run at 12 p.m., according to a news release from Beaufort County.

On Harbor Island in northern Beaufort County, Doug Fender said he “was on the bubble” about whether to evacuate.

“I’m here for the moment, but if it gets bad I’ll leave,” Fender said.

He said about 12 people remained on Harbor, but that most of them were leaving. He estimated about 600 people live on the island.

Fender said the island’s security guards checked in with residents around 9 a.m. Saturday to see if anyone was staying. According to Fender — who said he talked to one of the guards — two people were planning to stay. Fender also said island security officials planned to “maintain a presence” for the duration of Irma.

“It’s already up to (some) of the houses,” Fender said of the water, explaining there was already some coastal flooding on Harbor. He described an ocean full of white caps whipped up by 20 to 30 m.p.h. wind gusts.

“It’s already cooking up here,” he said.

Fender thought McMaster made the right decision to wait and issue a location-specific evacuation order instead of a mass-evacuation order.

Fender, a retired FBI agent, said McMaster’s decision was timely and appropriate, considering the weather conditions.

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This story was originally published September 9, 2017 at 12:50 PM with the headline "On the Lowcountry’s barrier islands, those who didn’t evacuate haunt ‘ghost towns’."