Hurricane Ian causes over $13 million in damage to North Myrtle Beach buildings

NORTH MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – North Myrtle Beach crews have determined how much damage Hurricane Ian caused to buildings in the city.

Donald Graham, the spokesperson for the city, said the powerful storm caused $13.1 million to buildings inside the city limits.

PHOTOS: Damage from Hurricane Ian in Cherry Grove, North Myrtle Beach

Graham added that the damage done to the Cherry Grove Pier is included in that estimate, but the cost of the beach and dune erosion done by Hurricane Ian is not included.

Graham explained that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will determine the amount of damage done to the beaches.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers assessed the damage and saw how much sand was taken away from beaches in North Myrtle Beach.

The chief of survey with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sonja Zindars, said it will help them determine the next steps to restore sand to the beaches.

“This is the first step after a hurricane comes through. When we scan the beach, this time after this the data processing begins and the analysis. At this point, we will know how much sand was lost during the storm,” Zindars explained.

Graham said that the number of properties damaged during Hurricane Ian stands at 1,659 and that the majority of those are single-family residential properties.

As for which area sustained the most damage, the Cherry Grove area suffered the most from Hurricane Ian, according to the city.

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