Episode Details

On September 21, 1989, Hurricane Hugo barreled toward Charleston as a powerful Category 4 storm. Just after midnight, the eye passed directly over the Peninsula and slammed the coast with sustained winds of 135 mph with a storm surge as high as 20 feet in some areas. The damage to the city was estimated to be $7 billion, making it, at the time, the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. It remains one of the defining nights in Charleston's history. This episode is geared toward Charlestonians, especially those here at the time of the storm, but we know all listeners will enjoy.  

Host, Joey Svendsen was in seventh grade when Hurricane Hugo hit Charleston. In this episode, he sits down with meteorologists Rob Fowler and Bill Walsh, along with retired news anchor Bill Sharpe, all of whom worked to keep Charleston informed until they went off the air. The men swap memories of that dreadful experience including the moment they realized it was going to be bad. They also discuss how storm tracking has evolved since Hugo and ask whether it makes sense to say, “Charleston is due for another one.”  

To continue the Hugo conversation, the hosts discuss the question: How do you make sense of a natural disaster when you believe in a God who is both all-loving and all-powerful? 

The hosts close with a little light-hearted conversation, and debate whether they would drink from a cup after a fly flew into it, and discuss whether it's harmless to say "I'm fine" when it's actually a very bad day.  

Guests | Rob Fowler | Bill Sharpe | Bill Walsh 

Hosts | Tomelex Copeland | Brianna McLeod | Lynne Stroy | Joey Svendsen

Seacoast Podcast is now on Instagram

Be a Patron of the podcast 

We have a YouTube Channel for videos of all episodes since Jan. 2024. 

We'd love to hear from you.  E-mail Joey HERE. 

Producer/Editor/host: Joey Svendsen
Sound Engineer/Editor: Katelyn Vandiver