Residents of Hilton Head area see downed trees, washed-out roads and damage from Debby

1 month ago 47

As potentially record-breaking rainfall picked up in Beaufort County overnight, firefighters and law enforcement responded to hundreds of calls related to Tropical Storm Debby. Flooding is widespread in several areas, but no major injuries were reported as of Tuesday morning.

Officials continue to urge residents to stay home if possible — but if you are venturing out, avoid these areas.

To share photos of storm damage or advise our reporters about flooded or dangerous areas, email newsroom@islandpacket.com after reporting conditions to the proper authorities.

Bluffton

U.S. 278/S.C. 170 interchange: The on-ramp from S.C. 170 (Okatie Highway) to U.S. 278 (Fording Island Road) remained closed as of 10:30 a.m. Tuesday as rainwater continued to pool onto the often-flooded interchange.

The on-ramp from S.C. 170 to U.S. 278 closed Monday evening and remained blocked off Tuesday morning as rainwater from Tropical Storm Debby continued to gather in the area.

The on-ramp from S.C. 170 to U.S. 278 closed Monday evening and remained blocked off Tuesday morning as rainwater from Tropical Storm Debby continued to gather in the area.

The Farm at Buckwalter: The low-lying neighborhood in southern Bluffton has been the epicenter of flood-related calls, according to Stephen Combs, a spokesperson for Bluffton Township Fire District. Police are asking residents to stay home as multiple portions of the community, especially near its center, are blanketed in water:

  • Mill Pond Road

  • Old Bridge Drive

  • Cattle Run Way

A photo taken on Cattle Run Way in The Farm at Buckwalter, a large neighborhood of townhomes in southern Bluffton, shows the roadway blanketed with water as Tropical Storm Debby continued its deluge in the Beaufort County area.

A photo taken on Cattle Run Way in The Farm at Buckwalter, a large neighborhood of townhomes in southern Bluffton, shows the roadway blanketed with water as Tropical Storm Debby continued its deluge in the Beaufort County area.

Floodwater had entered several houses in The Farm as of Tuesday morning, Combs said, partly because cars moving through the water were creating waves and pushing it farther up. He urged residents to avoid driving or walking in floodwater for the safety of themselves and others.

Floodwaters reached over sidewalks and halfway up roadside fences in The Farm at Buckwalter, a low-lying community in southern Bluffton. A photo taken Tuesday morning at the intersection of Old Bridge Drive and Mill Pond Road shows the extent of the neighborhood’s flooding as Tropical Storm Debby continued to bring huge amounts of rain to the Beaufort County area.

Floodwaters reached over sidewalks and halfway up roadside fences in The Farm at Buckwalter, a low-lying community in southern Bluffton. A photo taken Tuesday morning at the intersection of Old Bridge Drive and Mill Pond Road shows the extent of the neighborhood’s flooding as Tropical Storm Debby continued to bring huge amounts of rain to the Beaufort County area.

Bluffton Park: Avoid Red Cedar Street, 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue. A nearby lagoon has begun to spill over into the street, according to Bluffton police.

Officials in Bluffton were reporting no major injuries as of Tuesday morning, according to Combs. Even when a car hydroplaned into a retention pond in the Hampton Hall community Monday night, the driver escaped safely.

Port Royal

  • Castle Rock Road: Authorities had closed portions of the roadway east of its intersection with S.C. 170, a commonly flooded area.

Firefighters in Port Royal responded to a dozen storm-related calls overnight, including one fallen tree that brought minor damage to a home but did not displace residents, according to spokesperson Assistant Chief Ross Vezin.

A fallen tree atop a golf cart at a home on Old Shell Road in Port Royal, South Carolina, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.

A fallen tree atop a golf cart at a home on Old Shell Road in Port Royal, South Carolina, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024.

Jasper County

The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office urged drivers to avoid the following areas due to flooding:

  • I-95 Exit 22 ramps

  • I-95 Exit 33 ramps

  • West Frontage Road

  • Rice Shire Road between Bees Creek Road and Coosaw Scenic Drive

  • Coosaw Scenic Drive north of Salzburg Landing Road

  • Bees Creek Road between Rice Shire Road and Kyle Lane

Langfordville Road: Ridgeland resident George Tallmage reported a large washout near the back road’s intersection with Firetower Road, about two miles off of U.S. 278.

A rush of floodwater created a washout in northern Jasper County on Langfordville Road, east of its intersection with State Road S-27-87 (Firetower Road).

A rush of floodwater created a washout in northern Jasper County on Langfordville Road, east of its intersection with State Road S-27-87 (Firetower Road).

In Hardeeville, police are reporting flooding in the following areas:

  • Walsh Drive

  • The McTeer area

  • John Smith Road near Highway 17

  • Deerfield Village

  • Moorer Avenue/Burke Street