Tropical Storm Debby generates short-lived tornado on Lady's Island

Beaufort County This Week

STORY 1

From the Island Packet

Heavy winds from Tropical Storm Debby generated a “short-lived” tornado on Lady’s Island early Tuesday morning, the National Weather Service’s Charleston office confirmed Wednesday afternoon.

Forecasters determined the twister was an EF0, according to NWS lead meteorologist Peter Mohlin. It’s the weakest category in the agency’s modern rating system, corresponding to wind gusts of 65 to 85 miles per hour. The high-wind event occurred around 1 a.m. Tuesday and split trees in homeowners’ yards along Sams Point Road, damaging one car and a garage roof, according to reporting from The Post and Courier.

An NWS report released Wednesday night says the tornado developed at 12:53 a.m. Tuesday over Point Creek, just southeast of Lady’s Island, and “moved rapidly northwest” through the marsh toward a residential area. It snapped several trees along Holly Hall Road and near the 500 block of Sams Point Road before quickly dissipating south of Wade Hampton Drive around 12:56 a.m., according to the report.

Story 2

From the Island Packet

Even after Tropical Storm Debby crept off the Georgia coast and permitted a relatively quiet Tuesday evening in the Lowcountry, thousands in Beaufort County woke up Wednesday to find their front yards and neighborhood roads still swamped with floodwater.

Residents of several Bluffton communities — including The Farm at Buckwalter, Hampton Hall and Alljoy — saw the waters rise to unprecedented levels. Many stayed home from work in fear of their vehicles getting stuck. At The Farm, water began seeping into several homes as drivers generated waves while attempting to pass through the inundated roads, pushing the waters even further uphill. After lagoons overflowed near Hampton Hall, alligators were seen swimming in the floodwater that blanketed front yards and flowerbeds.

Even still, the worst flooding locally might be happening a county over. Unlike in Beaufort County, several roadways in the Jasper County area have split apart completely due to erosion from Debby’s heavy rainfall. At the same time, areas of Hardeeville and Ridgeland were overtaken by floodwater in front yards and city streets.

Story 3

From the Island News

Effective Thursday, Aug. 1, Beaufort County Solid Waste and Recycling will commence a new recycling contract with i2recycle. This change continues Beaufort County’s efforts of improving efficiency and environmental impact through responsible recycling. As part of this transition, there are some important changes to note when recycling:

No Caps or Lids: Remove all caps and lids from both plastic and glass bottles when recycling.

Size Restrictions: Plastic and glass items should be larger than a cup, but smaller than a gallon.

No Bagging: Do not place recyclables in paper or plastic bags. Place items loosely in bins.

Paper Size Requirement: Recyclable paper must be larger than a standard envelope.

No Crushing: Bottles and cans should remain uncrushed.

Please note that some of these new guidelines may be different than what has been done previously.

For more information, visit beaufortcountysc.gov/recycle or contact Beaufort County Solid Waste and Recycling at 843-255-2736.