Shortly after midnight on September 21, 1989, one of the great old fishing villages in the state received a test. It was a battle of man versus nature as Hurricane Hugo ripped through McClellanville, South Carolina (1989 population: 333 residents) destroying, moving, toppling and stealing every possession the residents held near and dear.
The first three photos below reportedly show the community a full NINE MONTHS after Hugo came and went.
The Category 4 hurricane sent many area residents to the local shelter at Lincoln High School. However, the surge brought with it so much water that it filled the gymnasium and the residents had to climb into the crawl space between the ceiling and the roof to escape drowning.
But what we do know is that it's hard to keep good people down. It's going on 29 years since the tragic storm took so much from the poeple of McClellanville. But OH HOW they have bounced back!
Even though their commercial boats were found in the streets and yards all over town after that night, the fishing community is thriving in McClellanville, one of the last great fishing towns in South Carolina.
And the faith of the residents still carries them through trying times, whether it be another impending storm, or simply helping a neighbor in a time of need.
Since Hugo, the population in McClellanville has grown 61%, up from 333 residents in 1989, to a 2016 estimate of 543 folks who call this tiny town home.
As for Hugo? We're certain that tragic disaster is one the people of McClellanville would rather never repeat. And we hope the same. Either way, as a state, we're proud of our little McClellanville for bouncing back and surviving against all odds.
