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Make no mistake, when a powerful hurricane hits that part of the coast, there will be serious, serious damage in Bluffton. And the fact is, it will eventually happen. People who chose to live near the coast often would rather not think about it, or minimize it, but you should consider the impact. Ask anyone who lived through Hugo in the Charleston area. Charleston looks great now, but the city was closed down for months after Hugo. Many residents did not have electricity for 6 weeks to 2 months afterward, not to mention drinkable water or sewer service. It took about a year for the entire area to get back to normal. Plus, you should consider the concept of mandatory hurricane evacuations which seem to happen somewhere on the SC coast every year. Its no fun to pile your family in the car, leaving most of your worldly possessions behind, not knowing what might happen. Just food for thought...
Moedog, I hear what you are saying-- believe me ,I think our friends are minimizing what could happen because they want us to move there so badly. We're trying to now think of a town futher away from the coast where we won't be too from from them but will also be safer.
Any ideas anyone??
We have no children so schools systems don't have to be a consideration.
Aiken sound nice but maybe a bit too far away from them.....
Hi Debra,
My daughter moved to Bluffton. Her husband makes good money but it does not go far in Bluffton and their property insurance would give them two luxury vacations a year compared to what they paid before. As posted previously, traffic is a problem especially for anyone working on Hilton Head-living in Bluffton. Bluffton still maintains some of it's small southern town charm, but it is quickly being dissolved under the influx of boomers coming from the north to retire there. (Bluffton can't be southern and northern at the same time, can it?) I am a westerner and fiercely loyal to the West - love my mountains, wide open spaces, quiet, mild weather, wildlife (yes, we still have some in spite of the boom that is happening west of the Rockies). My daughter wants us to move but we would give up way, way too much. No matter where you live in the U.S. there's always the possibility of disastrous weather or geological events so my advice is: follow your heart! I was raised in a small coastal California community (daily surfing after school, fish eaten the same day they are caught, sunny days with mild temperatures, salt air) and I loved it but after university I moved to Europe then back to the U.S. to the pristine Idaho mountains. I have my dream place but it only exists in my imagination - Tuscan countryside inland, Amalfi-type coastal town on a bluff overlooking a picturesque harbor with mild weather on the west coast of the U.S.!! Until I find it, I'll use my frequent flyer miles to visit - not move - to Bluffton. Good luck!
Hello Crionna,
Thank you for your comments.
There are two reasons for us to want to leave NJ--ok, three. First and foremost, I need a warmer climate due to health reasons which leads to reason two--our best friends are in HH and would love us to come down to the area so if we move to a warmer climate it may as well be near them!The third reason is NJ's taxes.Plus the over crowding....We are a bit concerned about the insurance though as if the combination and the property taxes combined equal near to what we're paying here, then we're not getting such a bargain in that area. But, the houses will be much more affordable than any area in NJ we would other wise move to. Again, there's the issue with the cold though.
So, we're heading off to visit again in October to take a good hard look and ask a lot of questions and see what we can see!
Wish us luck!
Debra
No, The Bluffton area would not be safe from flooding even from a low category storm. The entire county will be evacuated for even a low level storm. Two reasons -- The areaissurrounded by two enormous rivers, estuaries really -- the Colleton River and the May River, and the Intracoastal Waterway. In addition, the Continental Shelf is directly offshore, causing even more water to be pushed onland in a storm surge.
Hi KarenP,
Well..not liking the sound of that. And it is a reality I'm not certain we want to be dealing with. Especially, as we get older.
Thanks for your very helpful comment.
I've found a recommended evacuation map for Beaufort County. A good portion of the county would have to evacuate for a category 1, a bit more for a category 2 and the rest for a 3-5. Remember, however, this doesn't mean the entire county would be underwater, but that the any of the areas shaded for that particular storm strength would be at risk for storm surge. Most of Bluffton appears to be in the category 3-5 evacuation area.
I have to say, we keep thinking do we want to deal with the possibilty of evacuation ever! Especially as we get older.
We keep thinking of the pros and cons......why can't life be easy???
Debra, it isn't like evacuations happen every year or even every other year. It is fairly rare that the south coast of South Carolina is threatened by a hurricane. IMO if you want to live near the beach, find a place on relatively high ground and know that once or twice every 10 years you may need to evacuate - if ever. If this is too much to worry about, move to Columbia and know that the beach is only a 2 hour drive anytime you want to go. We have never had serious damage from a hurricane. Even Hugo left us relatively unscathed, just some downed trees and a little roof damage here and there.
Hi Waccamatt,
Weeell, since you put it that way!
In all honesty, if it were something to worry about more frequently, we'd move futher inland. I don't mind being further from the beach--I think it's being further from our friends that bums us out more! If push comes to shove , we'll definately keep Columbia in mind. Them being 2 hours away is a lot closer than they are now as we're still in NJ!!
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