Hunting Island is taking awhile to dry out and we’ll have to find another spot to have some outdoor fun this week. It was just announced on Sunday evening that Hunting Island closure will last through at least this Thursday, July 19th, due to impassable roads and standing water.
The word came from the State Park’s official Twitter page.
Hunting island will remain closed at least through the close of business Thursday July 23rd. Pumping continues but we still have lots of roads submerged. Your safely entering and exiting the park is our number one concern. 😢
— Hunting Island State Park (@HuntingIslandSP) July 19, 2020
Park staff had originally hoped to have the popular spot reopened already, but the water is receding very slowly.
The Hunting Island closure came after intense rains on July 6th & 7th dumped a whopping 12 inches of rain on our sea islands in a 48 hour period, causing roads and lower-lying spots in the park to be flooded
According to park staff, the entire day use areas of the park will remain closed, with the only exception being the campground.
This certainly isn’t the first time that Hunting Island saw a flood.
The past few years haven’t been kind to everyone’s favorite local beach. Hurricane Matthew caused lots of destruction in 2016 and that was followed by Irma in 2017 and each time there are heavy rains, some of the roads in the park flood out, as does the campground.
Reports say that the roads in the park will be undergoing a major overhaul in the future and will be raised a few feet above their present height to help avoid flooding in the coming years.
Let’s hope that she dries out soon. We’re starting to experience a case of beach separation anxiety.
