Roof of landmark Hilton Head convenience store collapses under weight of Debby deluge
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Tropical Storm Debby
Tropical Storm Debby made landfall August 5 as Category 1 storm in Florida’s Big Bend region. As it moves up the Southeast Coast, the system could dump historic rainfall in Beaufort County.
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A well-known Hilton Head Island convenience store is the latest victim of heavy rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby. The roof of the BP’s minimarket, located on U.S. 278 just west of the bridges onto the island, collapsed under the weight of a large pool of rainwater sometime before Tuesday morning.
Authorities had cordoned off the area surrounding the building and gas pumps by noon Tuesday. A photo taken from the Bluffton Parkway flyover shows a large sinkhole in the center of the roof, with air conditioning units leaned sideways as the structure caved into itself. At the front, the shingled awning was cracked and bulging out, with large pieces of plywood from the rafters above splayed on the sidewalk.
Built in 1984, the store is well-known for its location at the base of the Hilton Head bridges. It’s the last possible stop before U.S. 278 turns into the J. Wilson Graves Bridge that crosses Skull Creek onto the island.
It’s been a tough few years for the BP. Staff said the location lost “a lot of customers” during construction of the Bluffton Parkway flyover project in 2016, and the turn into the parking lot has become a more difficult task as the speedy traffic on Fording Island Road gets denser over time. In 2022, a common fixture in front of the store — a beloved Gullah-run produce stand known as Carolina Seafood — was evicted by Beaufort County due to zoning guidelines and safety concerns.
The South Carolina Highway Patrol notified fire crews of the damaged building around 2:50 a.m. Tuesday, said Stephen Combs of the Bluffton Township Fire District, whose jurisdiction contains the business. As of Tuesday afternoon, officials were not sure whether the collapse occurred Monday night or the following morning.
A call made to Beaufort County about the need for inspections or repair permitting had not been returned as of Tuesday afternoon.
This story was originally published August 6, 2024 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Roof of landmark Hilton Head convenience store collapses under weight of Debby deluge."
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