Saturday, August 27, 2011

Surfside Beach Webcam

There is a neat Surfside Beach webcam on the Internet at http://www.surfoff.com/.  Check it out!

About http://www.surfoff.com/ and the Guy Daniels Memorial Foundation:
The Guy Daniels Memorial Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our ocean and beaches.  The foundation raises awarness through the sponsorship of the annual surfoff and related conservation and educational programs.  The Surfoff is held in August of each year in Surfside Beach (S.C.) at 13th Avenue South.  Guy Daniels, a Surfside Beach native, collapsed on the beach while jogging in 1999. A rising sophomore at the Collage of Charleston and a Deans List student, he also served as a Life Guard and worked in a local Surf shop. Guy possessed the qualities of leadership, dedication, fortitude and kindness, all of which made him a respected member of his community and a positive mentor and role model for other youth.

If you care about Surfside Beach, I encourage you to join as an annual member of the Guy Daniels Memorial Foundation.  I've done it.  Click Here to join.


The Surfoff.com Respect the Beach project is responsible for a large reduction of litter on Surfside Beach  while keeping the area safe and clean for the benefit of our residents and guests alike.


Visit http://www.surfoff.com/ soon!

Mel Coker
Webmaster - http://www.surfsidebeachsc.us/







Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Hurricanes in South Carolina?

Since I sell real estate in Columbia, SC, I get asked this question from time to time.  Yes, South Carolina does have hurricanes - but not too often.  And, as infrequently as it does happen along the coast of South Carolina, any hurricane making landfall in this state would be downgraded to a tropical storm before a possible path towards Columbia (more than 100 miles inland).

Hurricane Hugo Before South Carolina Landfall
The last major hurricane to make landfall in South Carolina was Hugo, a category 4 storm in 1989.  Just prior to hitting near Charleston, South Carolina on September 22, 1989, it reached winds of 140 mph, and rapidly weakened as it turned to the northeast. 

Acutally, South Carolina is relatively low on Southern coastal states for hurricane impact probability.  I analyzed a recent study of hurricane impacts for coastal states from Texas around to North Carolina.  For my analysis, I assigned one point for each hurricane impact and two points for each major hurricane impact.   Scores were as follows:
Florida: 181
Texas: 99
Louisiana: 91
North Carolina: 75
South Carolina: 41
Alabama: 34
Mississippi: 31
Georgia: 22

South Carolina is a GREAT place to live.  Ready to move to Greater Columbia, SC?  Call Mel Coker at (803) 388-8011.
Ratings of Hurricanes by Hurricane Severity Index

Links of interest:
StormPulse - a great place to track hurricanes 
South Carolina 2011 Hurricane Guide
Hurricane Severity Index - a relatively new rating system for hurricanes (Hugo tied for 2nd all-time)
National Weather Service Hurricane Center
MyFoxHurricane
IbisEye Hurricane Tracker
Hurricane Destruction YouTube Video