Hurricane Relief

Hurricane Dispatch from Charleston

A look at the early stages of the storm

Photo: David DiBenedetto

Waves crashing on the beach at Sullivan's Island on Wednesday afternoon before the storm.

The first of Dorian’s outer rain bands scudded off the ocean and into Charleston, South Carolina, where Garden & Gun is headquartered, Wednesday morning. The day was fairly uneventful besides a couple of tropical downpours. In true Charleston fashion, a few of those who finished hurricane prep early found their way to their favorite watering holes. Out on Sullivan’s Island, the staff at Dunleavy’s Pub, a local favorite, had boarded the windows, but kept the door open. And the Co-Op market was serving their signature Frosé. 

Then at sundown the city truly began to feel the effects of the storm. Overnight we had gusts up to seventy miles per hour, squalls slinging rain sideways, and power outages. Thankfully the predicted storm surge didn’t materialize, tamped down by offshore winds, but several areas of downtown flooded. As the sun rose, Charlestonians woke from a restless night to find the occasional fallen tree and many branches littering soggy yards. The wind still honking. At 8 a.m. the eye of Dorian was just sixty miles offshore of the city, but a collective sigh of relief could be heard across social media as the storm began tracking north.

The wind will continue to blow into the afternoon, and certainly there will be more power outages and downed trees in the future, as well as one more high tide cycle around 2:00 p.m., but as those who have weathered these storms before know, tomorrow promises to be beautiful. For now, we’re hoping those north of us don’t feel the brunt of Dorian, and our thoughts are with those in the Bahamas. (To help click here.)


David DiBenedetto is the senior vice president and editor in chief of Garden & Gun. He is the author of On the Run: An Angler’s Journey Down the Striper Coast and the cohost of The Wild South podcast. A native of Savannah, DiBenedetto now resides in Charleston, South Carolina, with his wife, Jenny, their two children, and their Labrador retriever, Story. Follow @davedibenedetto on Instagram.


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