Despite the danger and boatloads of trouble that storms have unleashed upon the Holy City in the past, locals try not to let rising tides crush their spirits, distracting themselves by, say, kayaking through the Market or snapping photos of friends knee-deep in water. As this shot from August 1940 shows, a grin-and-bear-it attitude is nothing new among Lowcountry natives. The city had just been ravaged by a Category 2 hurricane that brought winds up to 104 miles per hour and a 13-foot storm tide pounding the shore. When the worst had passed, however, neighbors rolled up their pants and waded through the downtown streets with as much optimism as they could muster, knowing they’d soon be dry once more.
Resources
Photograph Courtesy of The Charleston Museum