Calm after the storm on beach in Myrtle Beach

Hurricane Matthew was gone Sunday, but the South Carolina coast continued to deal with gusty winds as property owners cleaned up.

A steady wind blew toward the ocean at Myrtle Beach about 10 a.m., kicking up sand on the storm flattened seashore.

Skies were sunny.

Gusts of up to 35 mph were expected through part of Sunday, and some areas, such as the Grand Strand, could expect breezy conditions early this week, according to the National Weather Service.

The remnants of Hurricane Matthew are the reason for Sunday’s conditions, forecaster Doug Anderson said. The left side of what’s left of the storm contained higher wind, he said.

In contrast, the wind was lighter in the Columbia area in the state’s interior, he said.

The wind was good for drying up flood waters that swamped property this week, said Ray Booth, who manages the OceansOne condo tower near 3rd Avenue South. But it might not help those trying to cleanup after the storm.

Debris from the storm littered Myrtle Beach, some still swirling in the breeze a day after Matthew.

Steve Lane, whose company maintains pool decks and grounds for multiple hotels, said it could be sometime before pools and decks are fixed.

The OceansOne and the adjacent Sandy Beach had sand in their pools and damaged fencing. Sand covered the asphalt street end between the two seaside buildings.

Lane said pool filters would have to be replaced, among other things. He said the Sandy Beach also had ocean water wash through from the storm surge about mid-day Saturday, which will have to be dealt with.

It may be several days before some hotels reopen as property managers assess damage and cleanup.

Booth said the hurricane-forced closure of the OceansOne cost about $70,000 in weekend revenue.

“It’s a losing situation,” he said. “We’ll clean it up. I had expected to be open today but obviously that’s not going to happen.”

Lane said that despite the problems, sand dunes that had been maintained in front of hotels and condos helped prevent further damage by taking the force of the ocean. Most of the dunes were gone Sunday in the middle of town.

“We had some sections of dune that were 6 to 7 feet high,” he said. “They slowed things up tremendously.”

This story was originally published October 9, 2016 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Calm after the storm on beach in Myrtle Beach."