Grand Strand piers still rebuilding from past storms. Are they ready for Hurricane Idalia?

Owners and frequent visitors of fishing piers along the Grand Strand are monitoring Hurricane Idalia and hoping to avoid damages caused by last year’s major storm.

Hurricane Ian, which made landfall in South Carolina last September, impacted at least four piers along the coasts of Horry and Georgetown counties, and some of those have yet to be fully restored.

Cherry Grove Pier, the only pier open to the public in North Myrtle Beach, was split in half by storm surge caused by Hurricane Ian, and construction is still at least a couple months from being completed, the pier’s manager recently told The Sun News.

Hurricane Idalia is now expected to begin impacting the Myrtle Beach area late Wednesday into Thursday, and construction crews at the Cherry Grove pier have been working to make sure everything rebuilt is tightened and tools are secured away, Manager Edgar Stephens said Tuesday.

Hurricane Ian also washed away a sizable portion of the Pawleys Island Pier in Georgetown County. Town administrator Dan Newquist told The Sun News Tuesday that only minor restoration work had been done on the pier since, and they’re planning on just following state and county guidelines in preparation for the coming storm.

Owners of Pier 14 and Springmaid Pier in Myrtle Beach and The Pier at Garden City did not immediately return voicemails seeking information about plans for Hurricane Idalia.

Surfside Beach is still in the process of completing a rebuild of its pier that was destroyed by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Delays have marred the $20 million project for years, and town leaders recently suspended the existence of its volunteer pier committee with no grand opening date set.

The town’s public works director was not immediately available to discuss any potential concerns about the project being impacted by Hurricane Idalia.