Hurricane Hugo Charleston TV Coverage
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- Local and national television coverage of 1989's Hurricane Hugo in Charleston, South Carolina. Included is footage from WCIV-TV, WCSC-TV and WCDB-TV. Personalities include Bill Walsh, Rob Fowler, Charlie Hall, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings.
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Bill Walsh must've been fresh out of college, jeez! lol. He & Rob Fowler were our go-to weathermen. Thanks for your service & keeping us informed during that time & beyond guys. We've had many evacuations since, but Hugo is still a vivid memory for all who lived through it...30+ years ago 🤯
Hugo is one of my earliest memories; I was three years old and PISSED that my cartoons were knocked off the air. My mother, eight months pregnant at the time, had more pressing issues. We were without power for several weeks it felt like, trees down EVERYWHERE just west of Charlotte.
I was 13 , and what upset me most was the inability to use my curling iron! Begged for a battery powered one and furious at being told no.
Oh how priorities change... Lol
They mentioned that the storm was moving really fast, which is why Hugo didn't weaken immediately even when it got inland. It cause widespread power outages in the Charlotte area.
I was 5 years old and remember this. We took shelter at my grandparents and remember trees snapping and everything just flying past
I was 4 and i remember looking out the window and my mom yelling at me to stop doing that.the next day and for about 2 weeks afterwards it was the hottest skeeter infested warz0ne
My family still talks about Hugo and how they rode it out in Myrtle Beach. It was a legendary storm in the lowcountry
I was 1 when Hugo hit and I’ve always heard about it growing up. Since then I can recall many storms over the years, leaving school early and sleeping right through some of the weaker ones. The power of even the weakest hurricanes is incredible. If a major one heads this way my bags are packed, I wouldn’t gamble on it.
As long as I live I will NEVER forget Hugo.
I remember this storm. I was 12. We lived in Pulaski, VA.
Ted thanks for posting this video! Good to see actual local coverage from that wed/thur. Sept. 1989!
I was 13 when Hugo hit. We didn't leave, and weathered the storm in West Ashley.. The images in my memory can never be forgotten. The sound of chainsaws and generators, or just how dark night really is...no storm that has hit Charleston since comes close to what it was like after Hugo.
wow this brings back some memories. i was eleven at the time living on johns island
I was 8 summerville
I was 5 in Goose Creek..wow time flies
13, West Ashley
The Sandhills of NC always takes a punch from any Hurricane that makes landfall from the SC Lowcountry to the NC Outer Banks. I was 8 years old when Hugo hit and Hugo spawned tornadoes and widespread damage throughout the Sandhills of both Carolinas.
I was 4. In Southern Pines. Don’t remember much but my parents said it was bad
@@AARONH85 It really was. It was the first Hurricane that my siblings and I had experienced. My family and I lived on Piney Lane and even though it was much worse along the coast from Savannah to Wilmington and points as far inland as Columbia and Charlotte, the Pines really did take a beating that night. My Dad grew up in Southern Pines and even though he was a small child when Hurricane Hazel hit the North Carolina coast, he remembered Hazel very well. There were 100 mph wind gusts as far inland as Fayetteville from Hazel.
Right downtown! Know exactly where that is! Small world.
I remember Hugo too I was 9 years old and I lived in southern new England in state of Rhode island in city of Providence. Hurricane glory hit Connecticut and eastern Rhode island in Sept 1985
Lot of old pros in the field for the networks; Fred Briggs, Ed Rabel and Bob Hager for NBC; Mike von Fremd and Chris Bury reporting for ABC. One of the CBS correspondents, as I recall, was Erin Hayes whom I competed against during my radio news days. All superb reporters.
One note about local stations going off the air ahead of the storm. As others have noted, mot of the Charleston TV stations had studios in the downtown area that would be underwater when Hugo arrived. So, it made sense for them to leave the air and give staff members a chance to evacuate. Today, most stations are part of large broadcast groups and when a major hurricane approaches, a “sister” station takes over coverage until the local outlet can resume operations. When a major storm threatened New Orleans a couple of years ago, WDSU tossed coverage to another Hearst station-I think it was WESH in Orlando. At least they tried to maintain coverage, but it was pretty clear the Orlando crew had limited knowledge of SE Louisiana
Actually, WDSU tossed control to WAPT in Jackson, Mississippi…which made sense as Mississippi is essentially part of the Saints’ broadcast territory (and would be more so after Katrina when Drew Brees came to New Orleans). WVUE tossed control over to WALA, even though Mobile would experience some effects of Katrina though not to the extent of New Orleans or southern Mississippi. WWL moved over to LPB’s communications center at LSU, and their feed was simulcast to evacuees in Houston via our cable system. My grandmother evacuated her house in Kenner which took in six inches of water in her sunken living room - even though Kenner was not on the side of the canal whose levees ruptured…she had just turned 84 then and will be 102 in over a week!
This is a fantastic video that showcases what Hugo was really like. I went through Hugo myself, and my father used to work for Channel 5 with Charlie Hall. I remember the moment he broke down here as they signed off for Hugo and they had to abandon the station located down on East Bay Street then. Me and my father sat there while we were hunkered down with family and friends In Summerville thinking what a wonderful person he was. The family at the end of this video is very similar to quite a few people I came across at that time who refused to believe it was that bad and they didn’t want to leave. Today we have so many major hurricanes similar to Hugo now people sort of take a different attitude. There are always going to be people who refuse to believe the truth. Thank goodness that family in Mt Pleasant was ok.
33 years ago tonight.
I was in the 7th grade when this storm hit, and I will never ever forget this storm. So many tornadoes hit as a result of the storm coming so far inland. We did not have power for almost 1 month because the entire state of SC lost power from this storm. So many homes were damaged. This was one of the scariest things, I ever been through to date. We have had other storms brush by the state but nothing to the magnitude of Hurricane Hugo.
Bill Walsh has always been a badass.
Yeah, but Charlie Hall was the OG badass!😎
I remember being in Conway, SC the night this thing landed. Walked outside and could not stand up.
Its also amazing to see the historic sites were spared in Charleston besides the city hall
It did major damage in Gaston county!I slept right through it all!lol
After Hugo hit, Hugo was the costliest natural disaster yet recorded in US history, that record lasted all of 3 years, until a far more powerful hurricane hit south Florida in August 1992.
Hurricane Andrew hit Southern Florida during the 1992 Hurricane Season. I was involved with both Hugo and Andrew, I was in college when Andrew passed through when I was in Gainesville
Wow..I do remember this. I lived in Kershaw. We had winds from 6:30pm to 7am. We were hardest hit at 3:30am when the power went out. Most of our windows were blown out.
I tried to put our coffee table in front of the window to block the curtians and the blinds from blowing in and out. I wasn't successful and my Daddy held on to a blanket to cover that window that was being flooded while I hammerd the blanket up with my eyes closed because the wind kept blowing out our candles. The tin roof from a warehouse building a block away was ripped off and were wrapped around the Stop sign in front of our house.
That is amazing to see a news station one of the most watched news stations in your area going off the air because of the weather. I wonder what that made them feel like
They were terrified and wanted to be with their loved ones
Hurricane bob direct hit in Aug 1991 on state of Rhode island
LOL the dude trying to straighten all those papers at 17:24. Make separate piles, buddy.
That's Charlie Hall, he helped start WCSC back in the day when it was just a radio station. At this point, he was the chief meteorologist at WCSC Channel 5 in Charleston. He was exhausted and worried by this point, as Hugo was about to hit. Organizing the papers in his hand was probably the least of his worries.
@@sarahchauvin3189, just before Hugo hit, Charlie simply threw his papers in the air and said, "I'm leaving!" Hugo was monstrous; I'll never forget it. Scared poor Charlie, too.
@@f.i.t.student7316 Lol I don't doubt it, and I don't blame him. Hugo was very frightening. I don't think I've ever been as terrified by anything since. 8 year old me learned a lot of new vocabulary: debris, catastrophe, aftermath...never again! Glad you made it through!
I miss old Charlie, though. He was always so nice to me any time I spoke to him.
@@f.i.t.student7316 the story is, Charlie actually REFUSED to leave until they told him he had no other choice. Hall hated to do that, but when I read an online article from WCSC (, he later realized it was the right move. he actually was thanked by a driver on the highway saying that they were not leaving until Mr. Hall had left the air. and as the discussion went on, they did at the right time.
www.live5news.com/2019/09/21/live-weatherman-charlie-hall-hated-leaving-studio-night-hugo-hit-he-later-realized-it-was-right-call/
@@sarahchauvin3189 I’m from Savannah and I was a sophomore in high school when Hugo hit and I played football and we had a game against Effingham County schedule for Friday the week Hugo hit but we ended up playing them Wednesday night at Grayson Stadium which is a minor league baseball stadium because all the school districts in Savannah metro area decided to play all football games earlier than expected because they didn’t know what or where Hugo was going to hit. Everyone thought that Hugo was heading for Savannah until it started shifting more northerly than expected. Another crazy fact is that my cousin played for Middle Tennessee State at the time and they were scheduled to play Georgia Southern the Saturday of the week of Hugo hitting our area but they ended up playing Thursday night and the game was the first night game in GSU history and the game was called “Hugo Bowl” and I was there cheering for my cousin. So I had a game Wednesday night and the night Hugo hit Charleston my cousin played against Georgia Southern and I will never forget we had to hold each other hands just to get in the house and the rain was blinding and I can’t imagine what Charleston went through that night. The rain in Statesboro was really bad and I remember my uncle said that we couldn’t go back to Savannah because it’s closed because Hugo jogged more southern than expected and we have to stay in Statesboro. But my other uncle was a DJ for WEAS E-93 in Savannah and he called WTOC meteorologist because they were friends and he told my uncle that it’s fine and Savannah isn’t closed so after the game we went back home and that’s when we experience the mighty force of Hugo. My high school girlfriend came with us to the game and she stayed with us at my grandma house which is huge. I’ve experience four hurricanes including Katrina but Hugo was my first experience with hurricanes that I’ve recalled except for Hurricane David which I remember somewhat but not really. Side note, I lost my virginity the night Hugo landed because my girlfriend stayed with us and nobody paid attention to her sleeping in my room 🤣
Linda Lombard became the bond court judge in Charleston county
DAMN I know I'm getting old LOL... I didn't even know that a young Bill Walsh worked for WCIW-Channel 4 thought he was a lifer on Live 5... Born on 4th of July in '89... Was told by my family that I slept through the WHOLE thing not one peep outta me.
$ireTV I just moved up from the Bronx ny to upper westchester county in 1989 ! Boring and dead compared to the Bronx! Well we never had the weather channel in the Bronx so when Hugo was occurring, it gave me some entertainment, since the last hurricane I heard of was Gloria! 1985
Bill Walsh joined WCSC in 1993.
That contractor putting up the plywood look like Hulk Hogan during that time.
"so get out, it is going to hit us"
I was 11 when Hurricane Hugo came through.
Devastating. Came back after the news of Irma, reminded me of Hugo a bit. Just hope it doesn't somehow turn as far to hit us straight on again. Then again, even hitting Florida and etc. is devastating as it is.
I sincerely hope everyone stays safe, Hurricanes are very scary things.
Since South Carolina is in a state of emergency that means be prepared for the worst no matter what. Even the possibility that it could hit is a very terrifying thing to think of.
Stay safe, everyone.
WCIV used the same 4 logo as KNBC at that time.
22:58, the cops had bigger fish to fry, but I guarantee they had their contractor licences revoked, if this happened today they most certainly would have lost their licenses and been in jail for price gouging.
The last time I watched this video I wondered why the stations went off the air. After watching hurricane Hugo coverage from another South Carolina tv station (WPDE-15 myrtle beach) I'm still wondering why because they provided coverage through the storm
Matt Shroyer they went off the air because, as the anchor says, their news station is/was located in downtown Charleston. They would have been under water if they had stayed to cover the storm from that location.
Nowadays, they would likely go to sister stations. WCIV would have likely gone to WACH (Columbia), WCSC to WIS (Columbia) and WCBD to WSPA (Spartanburg) or WJBF (Augusta) as Nexstar doesn't have a station in Columbia. But they didn't really have sister stations back in 1989 to the extent they do now.
mingo8myshoe what about wciv and wcbd
It appears after watching a retrospective from wcbd. It appears that wciv and wcsc signed off for safety reasons but wcbd had a backup plan of broadcasting from their transmitter to cover the storm
@@mshroye2 @mingo8myshoe Correct. WCIV and WCBD were/still are located in Mount Pleasant, a suburban town of Charleston. Their stations are physically less than five miles from the ocean, so they all had to evacuate too.
I was a baby as well, I slept right thru it! However i do remember the storm bursting the patio doors 🚪 wide open. & we live in Charlotte NC! Hugo tore Charlotte up! Anyone here from fear of today's Hurricane Matthew? Also, I have a TH-cam channel. Chk me out if you have time! Who remembers the "I survived Hurricane Hugo" t-shirts? #hurricanesurvivor
I'm relived that Matthew is not going to hit Florence where I live but Nicole has now just turned to a hurricane is heading for either the UK or SC. Nicole will be my first hurricane so I hope it comes!!!!
Finn _0507 🙈 oh no! Don't say that!!! Hurricanes are not fun!
Frenchi' J. My cousin was a baby and doesn’t remember it, so I doubt you do.
@@WickedlyMe328 I have vague memories from when I was a baby. It's weird but I can't explain it but I do remember when brothers and sisters used to push me in a stroller and my parents waving to me. It's very possible to have memories from when you were a baby.
Good thing I was born in 2010
It hot CharlestonSC at 12 midnight
My dad Went to garden city S.C. beach after Hugo and saw the entire peir had been completely wiped
"It would be better if it turned towards Wilmington", as the folks of Wilmington express their thanks
BoilerUp3030 No worries, we'll get our monster in due time...Hazel hit closer to Myrtle Beach than Wilmington, although Brunswick County had the higher winds and surge.
LOL I thought the same thing.
@@swissirish1 Now Florence is coming...
The time has come
You just got your wish bro.
because they have families to take care of but they did broadcast over the radio.
Mattese Bryan I will be broadcasting of CB and ham radio in Dorian
I was 4 when Hugo hit....but I lived in Maryland far away from landfall....I remember going outside and it being a little extra windy...I asked mom why and she said it’s what’s left of hurricane hugo...why I remember this I have no idea.
I was only a baby then. I was born in 1988.
me too. young bill walsh lol
Me also... Born in '89... 2 months and 18 days old.
Man how bad the technology sucked back then. To be hours away from the coast and still not know where it's going to go.
Yet in most ways, these were better times.
I blame trickle down Reaganomics
"We are all going to die!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Was WCIV signing-off after the news report or did you record it after the news was over. You could send it to tv-signoffs.com and although it is partial, it's still a sign-off.
BTW, that was not smart of WCIV to sign off during a natural disater and do nothing to inform.
Although. I do see why, because they need to evacuate, and go off the air. Still, not smart. Just go to an alternate location and transmit from there.
NESTLEH they went off the air because, as the anchor says, their news station is/was located in downtown Charleston. They would have been under water if they had stayed to cover the storm from that location.
@@mingo8myshoe WCIV (At the time) had their studio very close to the Ben Sawyer Bridge.
I believe WITV (SCETV-PBS) was knocked off until Mid January.
CORRECTION: WITV was off air until March.
It wasn't safe for them to stay, and honestly there wasn't anymore that could be said in terms of safety or warnings that could have helped by that time.. We lost power very soon after ,and batteries needed to be conserved.
why are they going off the air
To keep the news people and behind the scenes workers to safety before the storm hits.
Also, there may have been a good chance they would of lost power at the studio.
(I'm only 19:00 min as I type this)
Matt Shroyer they went off the air because, as the anchor says, their news station is/was located in downtown Charleston. They would have been under water if they had stayed to cover the storm from that location.
The world was ending
angry grandpa
The loser laughing about price gouging during a natural disaster should be ashamed of himself. As should anyone defending him.
Repent and trust in Jesus. Hes the only way. We deserve Hell because weve sinned. Lied, lusted stolen, etc. But God sent his son to die on the cross and rise out of the grave. We can receive forgiveness from Jesus. Repent and put your trust in him.
John 3:16
Romans 3:23❤😊❤❤