Isle of Palms Magazine, Summer 2016

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D irectly after Hurricane
Hugo in 1989, Publisher Bill
Macchio revealed his limited-
edition magazine titled “Hurricane
Hugo: Storm of the Century” to
residents of Mount Pleasant and
the surrounding islands. This
harrowing account by Jim Cox originally appeared in its
pages. We hope you will enjoy the look back, and be sure
to stay safe for this storm season.
By Jim Cox • isle of Palms Resident • 1989
It was 8 a.m. on Sept. 25, four days after Hurricane
Hugo. Following an all-night drive from Atlanta, my son’s
evacuation home, I boarded the harbor tour boat at Pa-
triots Point for a return to the devastated Isle of Palms. In
a pouring rain that added to the gloom, we were a ragtag
crowd. Having gotten around the curfews, dodged fallen
trees and avoided dangling electric lines, I tried to bring
my weary brain back into balance.
“We are not at war,” I told myself. “We are only dis-
placed persons on a mission of renewal and rejuvenation.”
This was the first boat to the island, and the first time any-
one had been able to get back since the storm drove us away.
To add another war-like dimension to the incredible scene,
we, in effect, had to give our name, rank and serial number
before boarding the boat. You had to have the proper ID to
prove your right to take the “Isle of Palms Clipper.”
“Where are you taking us, captain?” Another disheart-
ening response. The only place the boat could berth was at
the Wild Dunes Marina, a few miles from the other end of
the island where most of us wanted to go.
The rain blew across the deck. The man sitting next to
me was an airline pilot who had just come to Mount Pleas-
ant from New York. He wore only shorts and a sport shirt,
was protected
only by an um-
brella and was
shivering.
“Didn’t
have time to
find clothes,”
he said. “I’ve
rented out my
house on the
island for the
winter, and I
need to find out if the people can move in.” (It turned out
Recalling Hurricane Hugo’s Devastation
Looking
Back
Photo by Jim Curd.