Helene’s waterfront damage in Port Royal and Beaufort tops $400K. Here’s the repair status
Nearly two months after Tropical Storm Helene hammered Beaufort and Port Royal, reminders of its ferocious winds and water surge remain in the scarred waterfront as the communities continue to count the costs and repair the wreckage.
The Gulf of Mexico hurricane that hit Florida was a tropical storm by the time it reached South Carolina Sept. 27. But it still packed a punch. Its winds howled up to 75 mph. Storm surge rocked docks and boats. When it was over, trees and debris littered roadways, downed power lines left thousands without electricity, docks were twisted heaps and boats were beached.
More than $400,000 in damage has been documented to public waterfront facilities in both communities.
Linda Roper, director of Beaufort’s Downtown Operations and Community Services, said that damage to the city’s dinghy dock and the city’s marina located next door is at least $300,000, with damage to the dinghy dock accounting for $200,000 of the total.
The storm tore away an entire section of the dinghy dock, Roper said. Some of the floats that support the dock also were damaged beyond repair. The city plans to replace those floats but it is waiting to see what insurance will cover before proceeding. Repairs to floats that were possible have been completed.
Another $100,000 in damage also occurred at the marina when Helene’s wind and tides twisted the docks and battered some of the floats, Roper said.
The “H dock” on the east side of the marina was lost. The gangway fell into the water and has been replaced, Roper said.
The “D dock,” one of the longer fingers on the west side of the marina, also was damaged. The city hasn’t decided whether to replace the entire D dock, Roper said.
Insurance is expected to cover the costs of both projects. Work is continuing on stabilizing the marina docks, Roper said.
Besides the damage to the dinghy dock and the marina docks in Beaufort, 9 boats moored in the Beaufort River ended up beached. Eight of those vessels were moored in the marina at the time the storm hit. Roper said last week that four of those boats were still stuck on the muddy shoreline.
As of last week, four boats were still beached along the Beaufort River, Roper said.
Port Royal boardwalk and tower
In the town of Port Royal, Helene washed away a large section of the Henry Robinson Boardwalk at Sands Beach, a popular place to walk and for crabbing and fishing. The boat ramp also was extensively damaged. Both of those public amenities remain closed. The gateway sign leading to the boardwalk is still bent and a large section of the boardwalk is gone.
The estimated cost of the repairs to the boardwalk is $110,000, Town Manager Van Willis said.
While the town is repairing the boardwalk, it has decided to do an additional $100,000 to shore up the large viewing tower where visitors can see for miles from its upper levels including views of Battery Creek flowing into the Beaufort River.
The viewing tower was not damaged in the storm, Willis said. The town performed a structural assessment of the tower prior to the storm. It decided to couple the boardwalk repairs with the structural work, Willis said. Work is expected to begin in a few weeks, Willis said.
