Charleston, South Carolina – Sunday will be 36 years since Hurricane Hugo hit South Carolina. The massive Category 4 storm struck the Lowcountry on the night of September 21, 1989, and made landfall near Charleston at midnight on September 22nd.
As we reflect on the storm’s impact on the entire South Carolina coast, News 2 will air its original award-winning two-hour feature ‘Hurricane Hugo: Wrath to Restoration’ from 1989 on the WCBD+ streaming channel on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The episode examines Hugo’s approach and how Charleston prepared for the storm, the night of, and how WCBD TV was the final television station on the air as the storm neared, the devastation that followed, and the long road to recovery.
“We were so proud of that special, because we were doing that two-hour special while we were still recovering from a kick in the gut,” said WCBD Chief Meteorologist Rob Fowler.
Fowler noted that WCBD’s news director at the time, Mark Pimentel, stated that the newsroom needed to move on and show people what had happened while also assisting them in returning to normal.
“We’re recording little segments for the two-hour special while we’re doing newscasts each and every day about total devastation that is still anywhere the eye can see,” according to Fowler. “I know we were very proud of that piece of journalism, because we also knew that a lot of people lost power and were not able to see as the storm was approaching that night and see the storm in its prime during the night, and of course, the recovery, too.”
A live feed of the special broadcast will be available on Friday at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m., Saturday at 10 a.m. or 5:30 p.m., and Sunday at 12 p.m. and 8 p.m.
How to Get WCBD+
The all-new WCBD+ streaming app allows you to watch News 2 at any time. This app provides live-streaming newscasts and hours of video on demand, including the day’s top headlines, your Storm Team 2 prediction, and exclusive programming that you won’t find on television.
To open the shop, press the Home button on your Roku remote and then select Streaming Channels from the menu. Then, search for WCBD+ and select Add Channel.
Apple TV: Launch the App Store app, search for WCBD+, and tap Get to begin downloading.
Fire TV: From the home screen, select the magnifying glass icon in the top left corner. To install WCBD+, search for it, then select the app and click the download button.
