Each hurricane season, June 1st - November 30th, an approaching
hurricane poses a potential danger of rising sea levels with
wind driven waves and strong currents. The Sea Islands of the
southern coast of South Carolina are low-lying, separated from
the mainland by salt marshes, estuaries and tidal rivers. This
outer coastal plain as far as eighty miles inland is less than
one hundred feet above sea level. This fact along with the large
range between high and low tides makes the southern coast
particularly vulnerable to destructive flooding. Historically an
average of one hurricane or tropical storm makes landfall on the
South Carolina coast every four to five years. Since 1900, when
more accurate records were kept, eight category 2 or larger
storms have visited destruction on the Sea Island's south coast.
Although our Hilton Head Island community has not experienced
such flooding since Hurricane David in September, 1979, our
neighbors in South Carolina have suffered during Hurricane Hugo.
More recently Katri