OT 26 years ago Hugo
- Thread starter pepsicock
- Start date
I was working 3rd shift in Charlotte and lived in Fort Mill. I started to stay home but decided to go to work. Big mistake. I was able to get within about a mile of my house but had to park car and walk rest of way.
Wow..... I can't believe it's been that long. I was in high school when Hugo hit. I can still remember the principle making the announcement that school was being dismissed early due to inclement weather, and most of us had no clue what he was talking about. I don't remember ever watching a "hurricane report" or a "tropic report" before Hugo. Now, I can't remember NOT watching the latest "check on the tropics" since Hugo. I grew up about 2 miles outside of downtown Charleston, and even my neighborhood was under water. 20 something days with no electricity. As a 14 year old kid I had no idea of the severity, and for that I'm thankful.
I was here at the beach and since I live East of the Waterway we had mandatory evacuation. We went to Charlotte and that was a mistake. Hugo hit Charlotte pretty bad.
I know a family who still has firewood stored away from the trees they had down on their property. Off the ground and dry.....they are still burning....and you can imagine how much damage they must have had.
Worked with Carolina Power and light Company at the time - Worked until around 2 am that night when we all had to run for cover. Worked 3 months steady days ,nights and weekends. The destruction was unimaginable
We live in Mt. Pleasant and went to Columbia when it hit. Drove back to Mt Pleasant the next day and thought it was a war zone. Got to know all our neighbors in the weeks to come. We all pulled together to help each other and then would eat together in the evenings.
Man I do remember the cookouts in the evenings. The entire neighborhood got together and cooked out whatever we had in our freezers. As a kid I thought it was great, but now I realize how fortunate we all were to have been able to do that. We were also under a mandatory evacuation, but by the time we were ready to get out of town, it was too late. I guess I was too dumb to be scared back then. I will NEVER stay for another hurricane again. That I can promise!
This was my senior year at Carolina. I had just finished my last co-op job term in Mt. Pleasant, and moved back to Columbia for my final year.
Anybody remember what team we played the following Saturday? (Hint: We won the game, 21-10, and that opposing team went on to have a terrific season the following year. The WB upper decks had a lot of open seats.)
Was living in Forest Acres. HAd to work the night that it came through Columbia. MY usual drive home was about 20 mins. It took me an out due to downed trees blocking practically every route I tried. We were lucky, only without power about 7 days but I remember it being hotter then hell. And trying to sleep in a 90 degree house reminded me of how spoiled we all are now.
My wife is from North Charleston. We were living in Greenville at the time. We tried to get her parents to come to Greenville the day before Hugo hit. They were very religious people, and felt whatever is suppose to happen to them would happen. We drove down the day after, stopping at Groucho's to pick up some food that my father-in-law loved to eat when he visited us as students at USC. When we got to North Charleston there were people lined up at military water trucks with their containers. It looked like a nuclear holocaust. Thank GOD her parents weren't injured, and their home suffered a little damage, but nothing major. Their neighborhood suffered a lot of damage. Time flies. It seems like a short period of time has gone by since the disaster.
Ice, gas, potable water, and cash were hard to come by for weeks following Hugo. The only meat we ate, after the first couple of days, came from a can. The few neighbors that had gas hot water heaters became very popular! It was like camping, except we had no idea when the trip would end. I remember hearing a roar throughout the neighborhood immediately following the first pop of electricity. Anyone remember the horrible taste of the drinking water for months following Hugo? I'm not sure how true this is, but I remember the news reporting it was due to all of the downed pine trees in the Edisto river (Charleston's main water supply).
I remember playing Ga Tech. We had no power in Darlington. Listened to the game on radio at my aunts in Florence.
We rode out the storm here in Charleston (West Ashley). Luckily, at the time we were living in a 60's built Charleston brick home. Nothing happened to the house, but giant oaks and pines were all toppled over. The next morning it looked like a war zone. I have lived through two (Grace and Hugo) here in Charleston, don't want to see another.
I worked as an engineer for Carolina Power and Light at that time. Two other engineers and I were up all night long planning the restoration of electrical power grid in the Sumter region. We had an army of trucks in Sumter from all over the country that came to help us. Everything was down including the transmission lines. Took about a week or more to get everything back up in Sumter.
The storm took out about 35 of my 70 oak trees at my house in Florence and I was hard to find a clear path to the office. The phones worked, however. That was amazing. No damage to my house structure as the eye went right through our area. I still remember how deathly silent it was as the eye crossed over and then the wind started back and we thought it would never end.
Lived in Florence at the time, my parents lived West Ashley in Charleston and stayed thru the storm. My sister and her husband also stayed at my parents. My brother-in-laws blazer was flattened by a tree when the eye wall came over. I remember my dad calling when they were in the eye and telling us to get ready. My wife was 6 months pregnant and about 30 minutes after that call we lost power and a tornado hit our neighborhood. The sound was unbelievable, my wife and I spent the night in a closet listening to a transistor radio, the only station we could get was out of Jacksonville, all the station did all night was take calls from people in SC going thru the storm. My dad had been thru numerous hurricanes while in the Navy, some even on ships, That is why they undecided to stay. After Hugo he said next time he would leave.
Lived at N Litchfield Beach then. Mandatory evacuation, went to Manning to ride it out. Big mistake. Stayed first floor of motel, roof came off and totaled our two vehicles., but we were safe. Could not get back home for two weeks, hi way 17 Was a war zone. Got home, no real damage. Dining room table was still set as the wife had left it, and all around us was all kinds of damage. Pawleys Island was destroyed.
I went to Charleston a week after the storm to help our office there get back on its feet. Checked into Comfort Suites in North Charleston and was given a candle for light. Cars in the parking lot with trees down across them. The following week we tried to play golf at Patriots Point but gave up after a few holes due to trees, limbs, and trash still covering the course. Also remember driving over to Isle of Palms and being shocked at the destruction and nearly driving into a house sitting in the road.
Regardless of our impressions and feelings this week, Hugo was the longest and probably the worst week or more I have ever experienced. My recognition of blessing is that I never experienced Katrina or Andrew. If they were worse, dear God.... I can't even think about it, and I wasn't on the coast. Those of you ON the coast my thoughts did go out to you. My cousin was on IOP.
GOCOCKS! BEATUCF!
GOCOCKS! BEATUCF!
Someone asked who we were playing the weekend after Hugo......it was Georgia Tech at home, which I and many others from Charleston missed. We won, and then upset Georgia the following week in Athens. Sparky's first year.
Latest posts
-
-
-
-
Gamecock Scoop Podcast: Gamecocks Score Resounding Road Win At OU- Latest: Caleb Alexander
-
Gamecock Scoop Podcast: Gamecocks Score Resounding Road Win At Oklahoma
- Latest: Caleb Alexander