‘Sweating bullets’: Beaufort County wary of Irma less than year after Matthew

The heavy-duty pickup rumbled out of the driveway pulling a contractor’s trailer and eased past a camper in the front yard that has served as a home for almost a year.

Behind the wheel, Ron Holzkamp was headed to a job boarding up a downtown Beaufort home for an out-of-town owner concerned about Hurricane Irma. Holzkamp is among many in Beaufort County also keeping an eye on the storm.

He spent the past 10 months renovating the home he shares with his girlfriend on West Royal Oaks Drive after flood damage from Hurricane Matthew. He laid new tile, installed custom cabinets and top-of-the-line bathroom finishes.

Holzkamp and girlfriend Angela Gilstrap are planning to buy the home, with the renovation work going toward the down payment. But Irma is casting clouds over the sweat equity.

Saw horses and plywood will hold the couple’s furniture and some other belongings above flood water if the two decide whether to leave town this weekend. Along their street, an S.C. Department of Transportation crew parked an excavator prepared to deepen ditches in an area where yards regularly flood.

“If it happens again, we’re going to move,” Holzkamp said. “I’ll talk to these homeowners again about rebuilding it again for them.”

The Beaufort residents are among many in Beaufort County still recovering from the the last big storm while sneaking anxious glances at Irma.

Hurricane Irma became a Category 5 beast in the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday, with storm models showing threats to South Florida and potentially the Carolinas next week.

Social media is flooded with questions about what to do with pets, which dates to secure hotels, the best destinations for evacuees and who plans to ride out the storm.

It’s too soon to tell how the storm might affect Beaufort County. But in an area still recovering from Hurricane Matthew, it’s soon enough for plenty of anxiety.

“I am sweating bullets,” Gilstrap said.

As Irma moves toward the U.S., others in Beaufort County are still waiting to rebuild.

In Hilton Head Plantation, Maxine Uttal is still fighting her insurance company for the remaining money she said she is owed before demolishing and rebuilding her home. She has rented a nearby home since returning to Hilton Head Island after Matthew.

A tarp still covers the hole in her roof. Her yard is overgrown, though she has hired a landscaper to try to keep it up as best as possible.

Uttal has monitored the news reports and has family planning to visit to escape Irma’s possible wrath on South Florida.

“I don’t stay up at night worrying about hurricanes coming,” she said. “If it starts in our direction, we’ll leave. We’re not brave. ... That’s all I would need is another storm.”

A popular southern Beaufort County Facebook group, “Bluffton/Hilton Head Ask and Answer,” has been inundated with posts about Irma in recent days. The queries have garnered hundreds of responses.

A post soliciting suggestions for what to include in a hurricane kit included a mix of practical advice and humor.

“2 tickets to anywhere but here,” someone responded.

Probably the most popular sentiment was found in an oft-shared photo of a short note on a chalkboard:

“Dear Irma,

Don’t forget to turn right.

Sincerely,

The East Coast”

While Facebook might be handy for sharing storm tips, Beaufort County emergency officials are encouraging residents to be discerning about where they receive information by seeking trusted news outlets and subscribing to the Sheriff’s Office alerts at www.bcso.net. The social media churn has included models from suspect sources showing doomsday scenarios.

“Obviously we are all paying close attention to the storm,” Beaufort County Emergency Management director Lt. Col. Neil Baxley wrote in an update Sunday. “But PLEASE do not believe all you read on FACEBOOK. There are already dire rumors circulating that are totally unsubstantiated and intentionally misleading.”

This story was originally published September 5, 2017 at 8:52 PM with the headline "‘Sweating bullets’: Beaufort County wary of Irma less than year after Matthew."