Tropical Storm Elsa: Some damage in Hilton Head and Bluffton, but ‘we got lucky’
Hilton Head Island and Bluffton dodged the worst of Tropical Storm Elsa, though residents were still left with downed trees, scattered debris and intermittent power outages early Thursday.
Port Royal and other communities north of the Broad River were hit harder.
“It could have been much worse,” said Amanda Sutcliffe-Jones, director of communications for Sea Pines’ Community Services Associates. “We got lucky with this one.”
Palmetto Electric reported no power outages on Hilton Head as of about 11 a.m. Thursday. Only 35 Dominion Energy customers in Bluffton and Okatie were without power as of 10 a.m., according to the company.
Residents posted photos to Facebook of trees across streets on Hilton Head, roadway flooding in Yacht Cove and debris strewn around Bluffton.
Hilton Head Fire Rescue responded to more than 66 storm-related incidents, according to a Thursday news release.
Those calls included six trees that fell into structures in Sea Pines, 33 trees in roadways, 22 fire alarms, one vehicle crash and four medical emergencies, the release read. Fire Rescue as of 11 a.m. was not aware of any serious injuries.
Town workers and contractors as of mid-morning were still removing debris in island parks.
Palmetto Electric reported roughly 19,800 power outages on the island at the height of the storm, Fire Rescue said.
Sutcliffe-Jones, of Sea Pines’ CSA, told The Island Packet that the gated community as of 9:40 a.m. was working to remove debris and clear fallen trees. Several had dropped over roads, she said. Lawton Stables closed Thursday due to Elsa’s effects, according to a Facebook post.
“All of the animals are safe and sound, but there is some cleaning up to do. If you had a reservation for today, we will reach out to you as soon as we are able,” the post read.
Peter Kristian, general manager of Hilton Head Plantation, reported that the north-end gated community fared well during the storm. Some tree limbs fell, he said, and a couple storm drains clogged up. The community’s tennis courts were closed Thursday due to debris, Kristian added. He expected the courts to reopen Friday.
“We were really spared a hit,” he said.
The same was true at Hilton Head Airport. Jon Rembold, airports director for Beaufort County, said the facility had no major issues. There was some tree damage, he said.
“As far as I know, the flight schedule is normal,” Rembold said. “It seems like we made it through pretty well.”
Red flags were up at Hilton Head’s beaches Thursday morning due to rougher than normal surf conditions, according to Shore Beach Service.
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The Town of Bluffton, meanwhile, reported 24 downed trees as of 4:30 a.m., said spokeswoman Debbie Szpanka, citing preliminary information from the town’s director of emergency management. No serious injuries were reported.
The highest wind gust in the area was 81 mph recorded on the Calibogue Sound at 11:13 p.m. Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service in Charleston.
Rainfall totals were higher inland than on the coast, the weather service said. Hilton Head saw 2 to 4 inches of rain, and areas closer to Bluffton and Beaufort reported 5 to 7 inches. The highest rainfall total, 7.15 inches, was recorded two miles southwest of Beaufort.
This story was originally published July 8, 2021 at 12:15 PM.
