( Front text )

On the night of August 27, 1893, a

huge "tropical cyclone," the largest

and most powerful storm to hit S.C.

until Hurricane Hugo in 1989, made

landfall just E of Savannah, Ga.

With gusts as high as 120 mph and a

storm surge as 12 ft., the worst

of the storm struck the Sea Islands near

Beaufort - St. Helena, Hilton Head,

Daufuskie, Parris and smaller

islands were devastated.

(Continued on other side)

(Reverse text )

The storm killed more than 2,000 and

left more than 70,000 destitute in

coastal S.C. and Ga. Losses in lives

and property were most catastrophic

among blacks who were former

slaves or their descendants. Clara

Barton and the American Red Cross

launched a massive relief effort, the

first after a hurricane in U.S. history.

Donations in 1893-94 fed, clothed,

and sheltered thousands.

Marker is on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive (State Highway S-7-45), on the right when traveling south.

Courtesy hmdb.org

Credits and Sources: