Hunting Island State Park to close due to Tropical Storm Debby. No reopening date set

Hunting Island State Park will close Tuesday for an undetermined amount of time in response to expected flooding and wind impacts from Tropical Storm Debby.

Park Manager Zabo McCants said Monday that the decision was based on the park’s history of flooding and erosion issues. And, ultimately, the closure will keep the public and park rangers safe, McCants said.

As of Monday, the National Weather Service predicted Tropical Storm Debby could potentially shower between 10 and 20 inches of rain, and up to 30 inches locally, in Beaufort County through Thursday. Meteorologists have warned the public to expect the possibility of a “catastrophic” and “historic” amount of rainfall.

The likelihood for tropical storm-force winds increased for the area, which triggered a tropical storm warning Monday. It means sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph or higher associated with a tropical cyclone are expected in 36 hours or less. Tuesday morning is the earliest Beaufort County could see tropical storm-force winds.

Because unknowns around the storm remain, McCants said there isn’t a clear timeline for when the park would reopen. Rangers will perform hourly and daily assessments of the entire park to determine an opening date, he added. The assessments will account for tree damage, flooding and erosion.

The last time a historic amount of rain fell in the Lowcountry, dumping 15 to 20 inches between Oct. 1 and 5 in 2015, state parks officials said Hunting Island was the hardest-hit park statewide, despite avoiding a direct strike, according to previous reporting by The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.

Officials estimated that about 20 feet of beach was lost during the storm, which is more than the barrier island typically loses in an entire year. According to the newspapers’ 2015 reporting, rising waters came up to the fence at the gift shop at the north end of the park, and dozens of campsites were too waterlogged to rent.

More recently, when Idalia hit Beaufort County on Aug. 30 as a tropical storm, the park’s campground lost between 2 and 3 feet of sand dunes, a small section of the north beach’s dunes eroded up to 6 feet, and 5 to 7 feet were whittled away at the south beach.

McCants said for he and the park’s rangers are talking with current campsite visitors Monday, offering them refunds. For those who have a campsite booked but are yet to arrive, McCants said park staff is working to transfer visits to a later date, free of charge.

“I would personally rather refund their money and have them return at a later date than for them to face a safety issue while they’re here,” the park manager said.

As McCants and park staff will continue to respond to challenges thrown their way by Tropical Storm Debby, the park manager is keeping positive.

“Hopefully Mother Nature will just move it on up the coast, down the coast or inland, or just disperse it all together,” McCants said. “But if not, we will do what we can do to make sure that we’re trying to keep everybody safe.”

This story was originally published August 5, 2024 at 3:18 PM.

Sarah Haselhorst

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.