NORTH MYRTLE BEACH,SC- King tides have caused more flooding and beach erosion on the north end of the strand.
Pier Operations Manager Steve Gann says the beach in Cherry Grove is at least 15 feet further back than it was in the spring. The tide pushed all the way up into the dunes Wednesday morning.
“You have very little beach left during those times of the day,” said Gann.
City spokesperson Pat Dowling says the erosion creates a problem for North Myrtle Beach’s tourism based economy.
“People may decide well I don’t want to stay at that location because I want a high tide beach,”said Dowling.
The last beach re-nourishment took place in 2008. Dowling says North Myrtle Beach lost about 170,000 cubic yards of sand.
The Grand Strand is not scheduled for a beach re-nourishment until 2017. According to Dowling, North Myrtle Beach applied for emergency funding through the Army Corp of Engineers. They also applied to move the 2017 date earlier.
“Lots of balls up in the air, we hope they all fall in our favor,” he said.
Dowling says the king tides are 1 to 2 feet above the normal high tide. He expects it to gradually drop down throughout the week.
