Staff reports | Charleston and Horry counties are the third and fourth most vulnerable counties to hurricane risks along the Atlantic coast, according to a new study by Gutter Gnome. Also in the top 10: Beaufort, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. Federal authorities recently projected the 2023 hurricane season to be above normal.
As first reported by the Charleston City Paper, South Carolina and Florida dominated the list, with Broward and Palm Beach counties in Florida taking the top two spots. Charleston and Horry counties took the next two, and Miami-Dade County in Florida brought up the back of the top five. Beaufort, Berkeley and Dorchester counties ranked sixth, seventh and ninth, respectively. Honolulu County in Hawaii is the only Pacific county in the ranking and registered the most hurricane activity, though it only ranked 52nd overall.
Ben Webster, Charleston County’s emergency management deputy director, said the county’s high ranking may be due to Charleston’s reputation.
“Charleston is a phenomenal place to live,” he said. “People come year after year to visit our great county, and that gives us a lot of pressure. The eye is on us, and a large-scale hurricane would have major repercussions.”
Charleston County ranked ninth in the study’s hurricane risk score and second in hurricane history, which counts the number of major hurricanes in the last 10 years organized by category. Near misses are also factored in, and while Charleston does not often take the brunt of a hurricane’s landfall, it is often in its crosshairs. Charleston County also ranked eighth in financial impact, becoming the only county in South Carolina to crack the top 10 in that metric.
In other recent news:
Statewide preschool initiative gets permanent approval. South Carolina is cementing a public-private partnership that has been expanding preschool services statewide over the past quarter century, preparing children ages 4 and under.
State health officials release updated vaccine requirements for schools. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has announced updated immunization requirements for kids in childcare and school, including changes to required ages for certain vaccines.
S.C. lawmakers study cost, collaboration opportunities to give free meals for K-12 students. South Carolina lawmakers are exploring the expense of offering free meals to all K-12 students statewide by looking at how to maximize various nutrition programs funded by the federal government to feed more students, while increasing collaborations with local farmers.
We Can Do Better, South Carolina!
I wonder which insurance company paid for this story and who got the kickback? With all the new houses being built here in Horry county, Insurance companies would love to raise the rates!