Hurricane Floyd destroys the Long Beach Pier

As Hurricane Floyd churned off of Charleston some 250 miles south, some of the brave/foolish yahoos at the Long Beach Pier whipped out the video camera and captured this. You can see the pier collapse start at about 2:50. For some perspective on Floyd's power at the time, this was shot some 12 hours before landfall at this very same spot.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• hurricane
• floyd
• long
• beach
• pier
• oak
• island

[ben71129]

where did you find this video? I know that my family had a copy of it but Im not sure if we still have it or not. And to "Tarponcane," do you actually know why it was sold or just from what you have heard through the grape vine?

[revbleech]

bought it at the pierhouse circa 2000. And Tarponcane is mostly right; combination of divorce settlement and skyrocketing insurance and property taxes due to the real estate boom.

The most tragic part of this is, as of July 2008 at least, the lot is still sitting there empty.

[ebutuoy4000]

which was worst for nc coast fran or floyd?

[revbleech]

Depends on where you ask. New Hanover/Pender/Onslow counties and the triangle, Fran. Brunswick, and damn near everything north of the sandhills and east of I-95, Floyd.

[Tarponcane]

Spent many days as a kid fishing on that pier, sad to see it go in 99. It got torn down again in 2006 due to greedy wife in divorce!

[revbleech]

You and me both. I shot some video when they were dismantling it, but I fear that pilings standing silently in the water won't be compelling enough for YouTube :)

[sgilreath]

Me and my family was out there on Long Beach just on the Saturday before Floyd hit. We were on vacation, and had to leave the rental house at end of the weekend. My wife and I returned about 2 months later, and it really was a mess. I felt so sorry for the losses ppl endured. We go there on vacation at least once each year. I love Oak Island. Its just a cool place to go if you like the "laid back" life.

[Bratt242]

im from greenville, nc i was 13 when Floyd hit us.. it flooded half of my town for weeks. right after we all went downtown to tar river estates to see the damage, and there were snakes hanging from the trees that had been blown up from the river.. nasty

[pineville85]

I hope the pier did not fall down

[Tobinator76]

Wow not cool !!!!

[domirules28]

this video proves that floyd wasn't as destructive as hurricane hugo.....both pier 14 and the 2nd avenue pier and boardwalk (myrtle beach) were entirely washed away after that storm...the 2nd avenue pier was still being rebuilt nearly 2 years after hugo hit....

[cmlancaster02]

Der wen a'nudder paece. :). I lived in Charlotte and they cancelled school for this! No joke.

[tuff1430]

wow memories.. I lived on 42nd street 3rd row during that storm. We got lucky.. I remember 7pm curfews... All the sand up to the top of the stop signs on front row... Water running everywhere.. Houses gone, roofs floating in the ocean, 8 houses still unaccounted for to this day.... Scared the crap outta me..... I have a copy of this too... My ex brother in law taped the pier going down and also the beach the next day... I'll see if I can find it and upload it...

[wildmanchris200]

@Castilleroad Shit fucking happens!

[wildmanchris200]

Did HURRICAE Floyd give y'all a wet-ass blow job too, g0ddammit?

[coolnick52]

@Bratt242 I was in greenville too! i was 8 but we were on the south side around winterville, No flooding but some wind damage, shinggles blown off, three pines trees knocked down, and alittle sturctural damage from those horizontal wood pillings on the outside wall, did you get any wind damage? the only thing you hear about floyd is the flood but there was some wind too, I lived in somerset apartments.

[johnalang]

Nature 1 - Humanity 0

[Toddandy15]

I miss that peir so much