By Dr. Phillip Stone ’94, college archivist
Hurricane Helene’s unexpected assault on South Carolina on Sept. 27 reminded many Carolinians of another hurricane with an H name that struck the state 35 years ago.
With 140 mph winds and an astounding 20-foot storm surge, Hurricane Hugo made landfall on South Carolina’s coast on Sullivan’s Island on Sept. 21-22, 1989. The Category 4 hurricane devastated Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and other Caribbean islands in the days before hitting South Carolina. Hugo was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the continental United States since Hurricane Camille in 1969. It picked up strength and forward speed just before crossing the South Carolina coast, which meant that much of the state experienced the effects of the storm. Hugo was only downgraded to a tropical storm once it passed Charlotte.
Needless to say, the effect on South Carolina was dramatic. The eastern and central parts of the state suffered the most, with hurricane-force winds causing downed trees and power lines in almost every county. Unlike this fall, Spartanburg and the Wofford campus were largely unaffected by Hugo. The National Weather Service did record a 45 mph wind gust at 5 a.m., as the storm passed to the east of the area. The main impact on the college and community was some strong wind gusts and about an inch of rain.
In fact, the main coverage in the Old Gold and Black student newspaper was about the storm’s impact on Sumter, S.C., which happened to be the editor’s hometown. The Bohemian made no mention of it. The Daily Announcements for the next week carried one announcement headlined “Charleston!!” that invited anyone who wanted to help to contact Twin Towers in the chaplain’s office. South Carolina’s United Methodist Conference sprang into action, working with the United Methodist Committee on Relief to provide assistance to thousands of Lowcountry and Pee Dee residents whose lives had been upended by the wind and water. The SC United Methodist Advocate, the church newspaper, carried photos and stories of the hurricane’s impact on churches and homes for weeks after the storm.
Fifteen years after Hugo, the hurricane formed the backdrop of Benjamin Wofford Prize-winning novel “said the dark fishes,” written by Thomas Pierce ’06. The story takes place at the end of the summer and early fall, before, during and after the hurricane. The storm itself almost becomes a character in the story.
Hurricane Hugo left thousands of stories in its wake, and almost everyone who was alive at the time has some memory of how they experienced it, even if very few of their stories ever made it into the archives. The same will be true of Hurricane Helene, and perhaps we’ve done a better job of recording those stories.