Hurricane Irene caused severe damage to our beach, completely eliminating parts of the shoreline. Even though she just skimmed by us, large storm swells destroyed sea turtle nests that were ready to hatch. Sand dunes are so battered that sea water flows into parking lots at high tide.
The ends of the island took the brunt of Irene’s force. On the west end of Folly, the County Park took the hardest hit. The park is still without water and power. High waves pushed water under the park building and flooded the parking lot. The boardwalk collapsed into splinters. For now, Folly Beach County Park is closed.
The east end of the island—toward the Morris Island Lighthouse—was damaged as well. The last public access and parking lot is blocked and houses that surround the area are on ‘limited access,’ which means homeowners can come in to make repairs but are not allowed to rent the houses to vacationers.
We walk our dog on Folly Beach every night. It’s heartbreaking to see the damage Hurricane Irene caused. Since the storm, we have to plan our walks around the tide table because it’s impossible to walk the entire beach when the tide is rising. Even though parts of our beach are washed away, we know it could be so much worse.
I hope our friends on the northeast coast are recovering.
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This post is in participation with the Blogging for Fun group, and this week’s prompt is stormy weather. If you want to blog with us, go to the BFF Facebook page and request to join the group. Everyone is welcome.
What a shame.
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