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Ongoing coverage of South Carolina's recovery from the flooding of 2015.What had been Lindsay Langdale's Columbia home October 3, 2015 was a flooded ruin the next day.This coverage is made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In October of 2015, South Carolina received rainfall in unprecedented amounts over just a few days time. By the time the rain began to slacken, the National Weather Service reported that the event had dumped more than two feet of water on the state. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the subsequent flooding was the worst in 75 years.

Summer Tourism Season: Reality vs. Perception

North Myrtle Beach, SC.
David Tribble

South Carolina destinations are set for another record summer this year, following records in both 2014 and 2015. The rebound comes at a good time, as October's flood caused a $40 million decrease in revenue for the tourism industry, including losses to golf courses, restaurants, conventions, and more. Cooper McKim speaks with experts about how tourism rebounded in South Carolina after the flood.

Businesses in destinations like Myrtle Beach say there's no reason to be concerned. It was the Midlands that saw the brunt of the damage. A Hotel Director in Myrtle Beach, Bob Barenberg, says, "the drama that surrounds it when you're looking at this from afar -- you would have thought that Myrtle Beach was wiped off the map with Charleston, which obviously isn't the case." Despite little damage in the area, Barenberg's hotel still saw a 15% decrease throughout October.

Myrtle Beach, 2012
Credit Billy Hathorn
Myrtle Beach, 2012

He blames the media for making it seem like the Grand Strand and other destinations were underwater. USC Tourism Professor, Dr. Ercan Turk, says, "it really doesn't matter what the reality is. What matters is the perceptions and images. As long as the market has those perceptions and images that is the reality for them."

  Director of the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, Duane Parrish, took this to heart. The agency launched a campaign called the "Coast is Clear" showing potential visitors that doors were open in Myrtle Beach, Charleston, Hilton Head, and other popular sites.

https://vimeo.com/143054630">"The S.C. Coast is Clear" Campaign from https://vimeo.com/postandcourier">The Post and Courier on Vimeo.

Parrish says the campaign was successful, boosting indicators for tourism quickly, and filling hotels back up. Director of the hotel in Myrtle Beach, Bob Barenberg, agrees, though he's more concerned about next October. He says,"The question is will those groups come back in October that scheduled last year or perhaps canceled... will they take the risk of booking in October again. [That's] probably the bigger question in our mind."

SCPRT expects 2016 to be another record year for the tourism industry.

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