When Hurricane Hugo struck on Sept. 21, 1989, sleepy little Summerville was still adjusting to a growth spurt that would see the town grow from a village of 6,492 people in 1980 to a town of 22,519 in 1990.
It had been years since the Lowcountry had seen a serious hurricane, and many who lived through Hugo now admit they just didn’t prepare the way they should have.
“Personally, I didn’t take it seriously,” said Margaret Goodwine.
By the time she realized the gravity of the situation, “it was really too late to do anything,” she said.