Hurricane Hugo Hits Tega Cay — Community Video, September 1989 | TegaCayHistory.com

On the morning of September 22, 1989, Tega Cay residents woke up to a changed world. Hurricane Hugo made landfall just after midnight near Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, as a powerful Category 4 storm with sustained winds of 135 to 140 mph. By the time it reached York County and the Lake Wylie area, it had not slowed down the way most storms do after hitting land. Hugo was still packing hurricane-force wind gusts nearly 200 miles from the ocean, sending countless trees crashing into homes and onto power lines. National Weather Service. At the Lake Wylie Hydro Station, Duke Energy operators were struggling through the night as the generators surged and back roads were blocked by fallen trees. More than 90% of customers in Mecklenburg County lost power, some for up to three weeks, due to downed trees, impassable roads, and widespread damage to the transmission system. Conditions across York County and the Tega Cay peninsula were similarly severe. North Carolina State Climate Office. What you are watching in this video was captured the morning after the storm, by Tega Cay residents who grabbed their camcorders and drove through their neighborhood to document what Hugo had done to the community they loved. Shot on VHS tape in September 1989 and preserved for over 36 years, this footage is a rare and irreplaceable first-person record of Hugo's impact on Tega Cay. Look for the downed trees blocking streets. The snapped trunks. The damage to rooftops, fences, and yards. This was a community that had survived developer bankruptcies, lawsuits, and years of uncertainty to finally incorporate as a city just seven years earlier. Hugo was the first major natural disaster it faced as a municipality. This video is part of the TegaCayHistory.com archive, dedicated to preserving the history of Tega Cay, South Carolina, for current and future residents. Were you in Tega Cay when Hugo hit? Share your memories in the comments or in the Tega Cay History Facebook Group. Visit us at TegaCayHistory.com Join the community:   / tegacayhistory   Tags: Hurricane Hugo 1989, Tega Cay South Carolina, Lake Wylie hurricane, York County SC storm damage, Hugo camcorder footage, SC hurricane history.