South-Carolina

Hurricane Idalia shows nature may provide the best shoreline protection

Published

2 years ago

February 15, 2024

Hurricane Idalia shows nature may provide the best shoreline protection

CEDAR KEY, Fla. — When Hurricane Idalia slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast in August, one of the hardest hit areas was Cedar Key.

A nearly 7-foot storm surge battered the small fishing community, flooding a third of the buildings on the island. In a new report, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says Idalia caused an estimated $3.6 billion in damage, most of it in Florida’s Big Bend region. But on Cedar Key, when the water receded, scientists found some good news amid all the damage.

Nature-based “living shoreline” projects built to protect roads, buildings and other structures were relatively undamaged.

On Cedar Key over the past several years, a team of researchers from the University of Florida has used a variety of tools to mimic nature. Instead of building seawalls and jetties, they’ve brought in sand, put in marsh plants and used artificial reefsto encourage the growth of oyster beds offshore.

/ Octavio Jones for NPR

Octavio Jones for NPR

Near Airport Road on Cedar Key, large concrete reef ball structures have been installed to break waves and encourage oysters.

People who live on the tiny island year-round are no strangers to storm surge and flooding. Because it’s so low and close to the water, the town sees flooding during even small storms. In 2016, Hurricane Hermine brought then-record storm surge and flooding. Savanna Barry, an extension agent and researcher with the University of Florida, says that with that history, the devastation of Hurricane Idalia wasn’t unexpected. “Shocking’s not really the right word, but certainly overwhelming,” she says. “But we were happy to see the living shorelines had relatively little damage.”

Extension agent and University of Florida researcher Savanna Barry helps oversee the newest living shoreline project in Cedar Key near G Street.

Near the island’s western edge recently, Barry checked up on one of the living shoreline projects. Just a day before this visit, a storm system in the Gulf brought high winds, damaging surf and minor flooding to this part of the island. “But you see this debris line, how it bends towards this vegetated area,” Barry says. “That’s really showing you how this is affecting that wave power.”

That’s what living shorelines do. They don’t reduce the height of a storm surge or stop the waves from coming ashore. But they absorb and reduce the energy of incoming waves. Barry says that provides significant protection to roads, buildings and other structures onshore. “Even if they do still get flooded, they may not get as battered by wave energy,” she says.

After Hurricane Idalia, researchers found that living shoreline projects helped protect buildings on Cedar Key like this hotel by reducing incoming wave energy by 15% to 20%.

Three living shoreline projects have been created in Cedar Key. In August, as Hurricane Idalia strengthened in the Gulf and headed toward Florida, researchers placed wave gauges onshore and offshore to monitor the height and power of the storm surge. The gauges showed the living shorelines significantly reduced the height and power of the waves reaching the shore.

Scientists and volunteers plant small plugs of marsh grass that, if left undisturbed for a few years, grow into a dense "living shoreline." — Scientists and volunteers plant small plugs of marsh grass that, if left undisturbed for a few years, grow into a dense “living shoreline.”

Barry says, “We saw that even at the highest water levels, this project was reducing incoming wave energies between 15 and 20%.”

And unlike docks, seawalls and other human-made structures, University of Florida wetlands ecologist Mark Clark says their projects came though the hurricane largely unscathed. “When the water receded and we looked at these shorelines,” he says, “they were minimally impacted by the actual event.”

Throughout Cedar Key, nearly six months after the storm, buildings and docks are being repaired and rebuilt. On the living shorelines, nature is doing the repairs as oyster reefs repopulate and mangroves and marsh grasses regrow.

Marsh grasses help armor the shoreline with a dense root system that holds onto the soil. As water moves over it, the grass bends and flexes, absorbing wave energy.

Marsh grasses, Barry says, play a key role in protecting the shore. As waves break over them, she says the dense root systems hold on to the soil. “They create kind of an armoring of their own underneath the soil with a very, very dense web,” she says. “Then also, as the water moves across them, they bend and flex. That bending and flexing is absorbing wave energy.”

Marsh grasses also trap new sand, slowly increasing the elevation. At another living shoreline project on Cedar Key, that increased elevation helped protect an important road from being washed out in Idalia — something that had happened in a previous storm.

There's growing public support for nature-based projects in Cedar Key. Some private landowners have begun installing living shoreline projects on their properties. — There’s growing public support for nature-based projects in Cedar Key. Some private landowners have begun installing living shoreline projects on their properties.

Living shorelines have been advocated for decades as an alternative to human-made shore-hardening measures. Sea walls, common in most coastal areas, cost more in the long run. They often fail when they’re overtopped in storms. And they increase coastal erosion in adjacent areas that don’t have them.

Rebuilding is still underway on Dock Street in Cedar Key. Businesses there took some of the worst damage in Hurricane Idalia.

Living shoreline projects are more resilient. They improve water quality and help provide habitat for plants and sea life. But in Florida and elsewhere, Barry says living shorelines have been slow to catch on. “It may be hard for some people to believe that nature can be a defense,” she says. “I … think it’s just human nature to trust a wall more than something else.”

In Cedar Key, because residents live so close to the water, Barry says there’s public support for these nature-based projects. Working with the town, the University of Florida developed a master planto manage the island’s shoreline. And some private landowners have begun installing living shoreline projects on their properties.

On Cedar Key, because it's so low and close to the water, the town sees flooding in even small storms. A third of the buildings on the island were flooded in Hurricane Idalia. — On Cedar Key, because it’s so low and close to the water, the town sees flooding in even small storms. A third of the buildings on the island were flooded in Hurricane Idalia.

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South-Carolina

Rev. Jesse Jackson returns home to South Carolina to lie in state

Published

10 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Rev. Jesse Jackson returns home to South Carolina to lie in state

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — After a long career of fighting for civil rights, the Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. is visiting his home for one last time to lie in state at the South Carolina capitol on Monday.

The final full honors from the state where he was born is a far cry from his childhood in segregated Greenville, where in 1960 he couldn’t go inside the local library’s much better funded whites-only branch to check out a book he needed.

Jackson led seven Black high school students into that segregated branch, where they sat down and read books and magazines until they were arrested. The branches closed, then quietly reopened for all.

With that action, Jackson launched his career — and crusade — fighting for equality for all. He would catch the attention of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and join the voting rights march King led from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama.

Jackson died Feb. 17 at age 84 after battling a rare neurological disorder that affected his mobility and ability to speak in his later years.

The South Carolina services are part of two weeks of events. It began with Jackson’s body lying in repose and the public invited last week to his Rainbow PUSH Coalition’s Chicago headquarters.

After South Carolina, Jackson will be returned to Chicago for a large celebration of life gathering at a megachurch and the final homegoing services at the headquarters of Rainbow PUSH. Plans for a service in Washington, D.C., to honor him have been postponed until a later date.

Nationally, Jackson advocated for the poor and underrepresented for voting rights, job opportunities, education and health care. He scored diplomatic victories with world leaders.

Trough his Rainbow PUSH Coalition, he channeled cries for Black pride and self-determination into corporate boardrooms, pressuring executives to make America a more open and equitable society. He stepped forward as the Civil Rights Movement’s torchbearer after King’s assassination, and would run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988.

Jackson continued to be active in his home state, pushing in 2003 for Greenville County to honor King by matching the federal holiday in his honor and in 2015 by advocating for removing the Confederate flag from South Carolina Statehouse grounds after nine Black worshipers were killed in a racist shooting at a Charleston church.

Jackson is just the second Black man to lie in state at the South Carolina capitol. State Sen. Clementa Pinckney was honored in 2015 after he was shot and killed in the Charleston church shooting.

___

Associated Press writer Sophia Tareen in Chicago contributed to this report.

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South-Carolina

A Desperate South Carolina Program Returns to Oklahoma in 2026

Published

22 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

A Desperate South Carolina Program Returns to Oklahoma in 2026

Sooners On SI will break down Oklahoma’s 2026 schedule, opponent by opponent, for a series dubbed “Know Your Foe.” You can look forward to an opponent breakdown each day. Catch up by checking out the preview for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Former Oklahoma assistant coach Shane Beamer finds himself on shaky ground heading into 2026. This is a make-or-break year for Beamer, whose South Carolina squad retained a great deal of talent while also adding some exciting names.

For Beamer, it could very well come down to how his team performs in his second game in Norman as an opposing head coach.

How the Sooners enter their third consecutive matchup with the Gamecocks could very well tell us how the rest of the 2026 season is going to go. South Carolina is banking on experience to extend Beamer’s future.

How will the Sooners fare against the Gamecocks? But first, some history.

Past Battles

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables talks with South Carolina coach Shane Beamer after a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners and the South Carolina Gamecocks. | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

South Carolina has been sort of a spotlight game for Oklahoma in their initial two seasons in the SEC.

In 2024, following their second loss of the season, the Sooners returned to Norman with their sights set on rebounding with a win to set up a strong finish. Those hopes were dashed immediately when the Gamecocks scored 21 points in the blink of an eye, leading to a comfortable victory. OU’s season would not rebound.

2025 saw the Sooners in a similar spot. After losing their first game of the season to Texas, OU traveled to Columbia for the first time ever hoping to rebound. They didjust that—setting them up to have an opportunity for a strong finish.

Returning Starters

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers scrambles against Oklahoma. | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

The dynamic LaNorris Sellers returned to Columbia despite rumors speculating that he may try and find greener pastures elsewhere. This was more than good news for Beamer. Sellers’ big play ability keeps defensive coordinators up at night.

Wide receiver Nyck Harbor followed suit by returning to South Carolina as well. Harbor gives Sellers and the USC offense a gamebreaking factor that pairs well with Sellers’ capabilities. Last year, Harbor scored six touchdowns and had three games of 100 or more yards receiving.

Edge rusher Dylan Stewart—who OU was able to avoid last year following a hip injury sustained early in the first quarter—also announced he would return for a final season of college ball. At 6-6, 250 pounds, Stewart projects as one of the more talented defensive players in the country.

New Faces

Oklahoma receiver Jayden Gibson looks on during a drill at practice. | Ryan Chapman / Sooners on SI

With 25 new players via the transfer portal, Beamer left no stone unturned to try and right the wrongs of 2025.

After sitting out the last two seasons due to injuries and some legal trouble, Jayden Gibson landed in Columbia to attempt to revive his career. When he was healthy in 2023, Gibson proved to be a valuable pass catcher with his size and hands.

Big 6-5 tight end Max Drag chose to play for the Gamecocks following a career jumping from Appalachin State to UCF. Drag was primarily used as a blocker, which bodes well for USC’s QB-run oriented attack.

Linebacker Kelby Collins came in from Alabama. In a rotational role, Collins earned two sacks and three tackles for loss last year. Oklahoma saw Collins twice in 2025.

Key Departures

South Carolina State Bulldogs quarterback William Atkins IV escapes the pressure of South Carolina Gamecocks linebacker Bryan Thomas Jr. in the second quarter. | Jeff Blake-Imagn Images

Edge rusher Byrant Thomas Jr. entered the draft, taking away USC’s one-two punch at defensive end. Thomas’ blend of size and speed made him a force on the defensive line for South Carolina.

Big play pass catcher Vandrevious Jacobs took his 17 yards per catch talents to South Beach to play for the Miami Hurricanes.

Tight end Michael Smith was on his way to a promising start of his Gamecock career following a solid true freshman outing in 2024, but was limited last season due to injuries.

Schedule Placement

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables | Carson Field, Sooners On SI

For OU, the back half of their schedule begins after hosting USC. With two tough home games bookended by two tough road games, Oklahoma’s matchup with the Gamecocks could prove pivotal for how the rest of the season goes.

If the Sooners navigated their initial brutal three games of Michigan, Georgia and Texas well, then by the time they’ve made it to late October, the Gamecocks should only serve to provide Oklahoma as a final open-book test sort of matchup.

But if OU goes 1-2 or worse in those initial three games, then the Sooners may be fighting for their season’s very life hosting the Gamecocks.

USC finds OU on the crucible section of their schedule. The Gamecocks travel to Knoxville the week before Norman, only to then play Texas A&M, Arkansas, Georgia and Clemson.

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South-Carolina

Tessa Johnson injury update for Dawn Staley, South Carolina vs Kentucky

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Tessa Johnson injury update for Dawn Staley, South Carolina vs Kentucky

South Carolina women’s basketball starting guard Tessa Johnson was not listed on the injury report Feb. 28 for the Gamecocks’ final regular-season game at Kentucky.

Johnson was practicing on Feb. 27 after missing the 112-71 win over Missouri, but coach Dawn Staley wouldn’t confirm her status for the next game.

No. 3 South Carolina (28-2, 14-1) travels to play No. 18 Kentucky (21-8, 8-7 SEC) on March 1 (2 p.m. ET, SEC Network) to close the regular season.

South Carolina called it an “upper body contusion” on social media not long after she was listed as out on the SEC injury report that published an hour before tipoff vs Missouri.

Staley joked that media would post on social media that Johnson was practicing with the starters, setting the tone that she isn’t hiding the latest on Johnson’s health.

Johnson is a junior guard averaging 13.1 points and 3.5 rebounds. She leads the SEC in 3-point shooting at 45.5%, which is also eighth in the nation.

Johnson struggled in her two most recent games. She went combined 2-of-13 for six points against Alabama and Ole Miss, just after going 8-of-13 for 21 points against LSU.

Staley said sophomore reserve post/center Adhel Tac is day to day dealing with a lower leg injury. Tac hasn’t played since Feb. 5. She’s still using a medical scooter to move around and has been sitting out practices. She was listed as out again vs Kentucky.

Tessa Johnson injury update, status for Kentucky

The Wildcats have talented guards who can score and defend, in addition to post players like 6-foot-5 center Clara Strack, who averages 16.4 points and 10.2 rebounds. Tonie Morgan scores 14.4 points and dishes a nation-high 8.3 assists a game.

Johnson is third in the nation in 3-point shooting at 45.5%. By posing a threat behind the arc, players like Joyce Edwards and Madina Okot get more action in the paint.

Raven Johnson hit a career-high four 3-pointers against Missouri and Maddy McDaniel drained two, but there’s no denying how much Johnson elevates the offense.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬

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