Hilton Head tourists and residents weather storm at beaches, piers and stores - MASHAHER

Genee Leonard’s son-in-law isn’t scoring any brownie points this week. He booked the family’s Hilton Head vacation the same week Tropical Storm Debby is expected to hit.

The two families’ five children were cloaked in wet towels and shivering, but the pouring rain didn’t stop them from running down to the water at Coligny Beach. The Leonards aren’t the only ones. There were “a ton” of others Monday morning, according to the much drier beach patrol employee sitting in his pickup truck.

Shore Beach Service, the town’s contracted lifeguard company, will have pickup trucks stationed on island beaches from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. throughout the storm, according to Operations Manager Mike Wagner. Patrols are chiefly looking for people getting in the water or attempting to get in the water. “We tell them not to,” Wagner said. Storms can cause strong longshore currents, quickly and dangerously carrying swimmers down the coast.

Genee Leonard’s family brave the winds and rain from Tropical Storm Debby at Coligny Beach on August. 5, 2024 on Hilton Head Island. Leonard and her family drove down to Hilton Head from West Virginia and will be here for the duration of the storm.

The five Leonard children didn’t need to be told twice. The closest they went to the water was dipping their toes in. Genee said their vacation from West Virginia will consist of many card games and much family time, especially because Hilton Head park facilities will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday.

While the kids’ first time on Hilton Head beaches isn’t what they expected, they’re trying to take advantage of what the island offers. “We hear there’s an arcade,” Genee said.

Marla Muraski was concerned about the potential for flooding from tropical Storm Debby at Coligny Beach on August. 5, 2024 on Hilton Head Island. Muraski recently moved to the Lowcountry from Boston with her family and two dogs.

For others, like Marla Muraski, it’s not their first time on Hilton Head beaches but their first hurricane season as an island resident. The storm is quite the welcome committee: Mursaki, her husband, son and two Labrador retrievers moved down from New Jersey last month.

“I’m more concerned about the floods than anything else,” she said. The pooches are too, despite being a water breed, she said, “They’re prima donnas.”

Through Thursday, there is the potential for about 20 inches of rain, with the possibility of local amounts of up to 30 inches, according to updated maps from the National Weather Service’s Charleston Office. Mursaki said her family has stocked up on food, water and candles. They’re ready for the storm and for the rain to clear over the upcoming weekend.

Unfortunately for the Leonards, they drive home on Thursday.

“They’ve had enough, they’re coming in,” Genee said as her grandchildren ran back from the beach.

Take a look at The Island Packet’s photos from Monday: