Storms cause minor damage to some SC state parks

Storms and flooding over the weekend caused minor damage at some of South Carolina’s state parks.

Sesquicentennial, which is surrounded by dams and lakes in Northeast Richland, is closed, Phil Gaines, director of state parks, said Tuesday. The park is located near some of the dams damaged and at-risk after the weekend flooding.

Gaines said the park lost a few tour bridges and there are some nature trail issues, but most of the damage is minimal.

Among other parks statewide Tuesday, Gaines said:

Edisto Beach State Park in the Lowcountry, has lots of erosion. “A lot of our parks are still heavy with water,” Gaines said.

Hunting Island State Park in the Lowcountry is closed, primarily because of water and coastal flooding.

Myrtle Beach State Park is closed because of coastal flooding.

No damage has been reported to Upstate parks.

Gaines said he feels fortunate that visitors and employees are safe. He said the plan is to clean up and get parks open later this week or as soon as water subsides.

The parks department shared a brief update on storm issues on its Facebook page this week.

South Carolina’s only national park, Congaree in Lower Richland County, has been closed due to severe flooding, according to a news release. It was not clear Tuesday when it would reopen.

This story was originally published October 6, 2015 at 8:58 PM with the headline "Storms cause minor damage to some SC state parks."