Residents, tourists survive tornado that ripped through South Carolina beach: 'It was wild'

Wednesday, August 7, 2024
EDISTO BEACH, S.C. (WTVD) -- You don't need to look far to spot the destruction on Edisto Beach in South Carolina.

Or just take it from Erica Bilton.

"We heard it coming, it sounded kind of like a train, it was wild," she said. "Craziest thing I've ever been through."

Bilton and six family members were in the bathroom Monday night as a tornado touched down. They are from Holly Hill, South Carolina.

"My dad yelled to come back to the bathroom and we all got into a little huddle and slept there all night," Erica said.



They lost the screen door on the house they are renting. The fence was also mangled and the house shifted some too.

"We were very blessed compared to others two houses down, it literally went through their living room," she said.

ALSO SEE: Tracking Debby: Latest forecast shifts tropical storm west and speeds its movement up through NC

There is still a chair sticking through the destroyed top deck of that house further down Palmetto Boulevard, where insulation is coming out of the bottom.

Debby's wrath could be seen across the street with blue tarps already covering homes. Then there was McConkey's Jungle Shack, a local dive bar, that was ripped to shreds.



ABC11 cameras also saw two beachfront homes with roofs torn off and windows blown out.

"This is a lot more," said John Butler. "It set records."

Butler was pumping water out of his front yard.

"It rained a good ten inches and we're trying to get it out of the ponding area," he said.

Locals and tourists want to forget this storm, but it won't stop Bilton and her family from coming back.



"I love this place we'll always come," she said. "Yes, we love Edisto."
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