The storm surge on the South Carolina coast was extreme. The highest tide was near 20 feet at Bull's Bay, just north of Charleston. This storm tide was the highest ever recorded on the East Coast. Tides were reported of 16 feet at McClellanville, 13 feet at Myrtle Beach, 12 feet at Folly Beach, and 10.5 feet at Charleston. A fisherman in McClellanville reportedly rode out the storm aboard his shrimp trawler and was said to have "floated over the roofs of two-story houses." Not surprisingly, the impact on waterfront properties was enormous.

Hugo's tremendous power delivered incredible destruction across South Carolina. Extreme tides and high winds knocked bridges off their pilings, stranded yachts in the middle of highways, and toppled television broadcast towers. The 150-mile-wide swath of the storm was especially devastating to the forests of the state, as more than six billion board feet of timber were destroyed. That total was more than three times the loss experienced with the Mount St. Helens volcanic eruption in 1980. The Francis Marion National Forest just north of Charleston was among the hardest-hit areas. The U.S. Forest Service estimated that Hugo damaged or destroyed 70 percent of the trees in the 250,000-acre forest, or about one billion board feet of timber. Very few of the uprooted and splintered trees were harvestable, and the economic losses of the timber alone were over $1 billion.

In North Carolina, Hugo had a severe impact, both on the beaches of Brunswick County and in the cities and towns in the western portions of the state. Damage was reported in twenty-nine counties, most of which were designated as federal disaster areas. As the center of the storm rolled past Charlotte, wind gusts of over 85 mph buffeted the region. Trees crashed into homes, cars, and power lines, and utility poles snapped. Charlotte lost more than eighty thousand trees to the storm, many of which were more than seventy years old. Ninety-eight percent of the city's residents lost power, and for some, repairs were not made for more than two weeks. Power outages caused large amounts of raw sewage to bypass treatment plants and flow into streams throughout Mecklenburg County. North Carolina's largest metropolitan area was brought to its knees by the storm.

Numerous other cities and towns felt Hugo's wrath as it crossed the state. Gastonia, Monroe, Lincolnton, and Hickory were all hit hard by the storm. Two to four inches of rain fell across the western counties, although Boone received almost seven inches. High winds ripped down power lines throughout the region, and forests in some areas were leveled. In North Carolina, Hugo damaged more than 2.7 million acres of forests in twenty-six counties, with almost complete destruction of 68,000 acres. Timber losses to the state were valued at $250 million. And like South Carolina, very little timber was salvaged. Forestry experts were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of dead trees. Most of the timber was either splintered by the storm or decayed before loggers could reach it.

In the wake of the storm, Tar Heel residents emerged from their homes in awe of the destruction. So many trees, tree limbs, and utility poles were downed that they completely filled the streets and yards of some neighborhoods. Cleanup efforts began almost immediately but were slowed one week after Hugo when seven more inches of rain fell across several western counties. Chainsaws were essential in clearing streets and lawns, but perhaps the most valued commodity in the aftermath of the storm was one we often take for granted--electricity.

Hurricane Hugo was one of the greatest natural disasters to ever affect the United States. Like Hazel, Camille, and a handful of other hurricanes, Hugo didn't lose its punch when it struck the coast but instead barreled inland with almost full fury. The people of Mecklenburg County thought they were immune to hurricanes prior to this storm's arrival. Most had believed that tropical cyclones were strictly a coastal phenomenon, but Hugo proved to be an exception. After breaking all dollar records for destruction, this incredible storm was overshadowed just three years later by another record-breaking hurricane that more than doubled Hugo's toll: hurricane Andrew.