South-Carolina
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
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Octavio Jones for NPR
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.”
/ Octavio Jones for NPR
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Octavio Jones for NPR
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.
/ Octavio Jones for NPR
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Octavio Jones for NPR
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.
/ Octavio Jones for NPR
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Octavio Jones for NPR
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.
/ Octavio Jones for NPR
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Octavio Jones for NPR
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.
/ Octavio Jones for NPR
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Octavio Jones for NPR
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.
/ Octavio Jones for NPR
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Octavio Jones for NPR
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.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
/ Octavio Jones for NPR
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Octavio Jones for NPR
VIDEO: Alan Wilson shares what he’s learned from governor’s campaign so far
Alan Wilson shares what he’s learned from governor’s campaign so far during a campaign stop in Greer, South Carolina.
Attorney General Alan Wilson started his campaign visit to the Upstate on Monday, May 11, at the Clock of Greer restaurant, where he worked the drive-through window and spoke with diners inside.
Wilson, who has been in the governor’s race since late June, has spent the past 10 months traveling the state and connecting with voters.
Wilson is one of six Republicans running to be South Carolina’s next governor. His competitors are Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette, U.S. Reps. Nancy Mace, District 1, and Ralph Norman, District 5, DOGE SC founder Rom Reddy, and State Sen. Josh Kimbrell, Spartanburg.
Wilson brought his campaign for governor to the Upstate, with less than a month left until the primary.
“You learn so much when you go on a listening tour,” Wilson said. “It’s not just about me telling people what I want to do as their governor. It’s about learning from people what they want their governor to do for them.”
Wilson’s campaign platform includes investing in education, improving infrastructure, cutting wasteful government spending, expanding rural healthcare access, and enforcing federal immigration law. After traveling the state, he believes affordability is a top issue for South Carolinians in this election cycle.
“There’s a lot of things going on around the world that we can’t control the price of,” Wilson said. “But there’s things that we can do as a state to react better to it.”
Wilson often polls as a top candidate that Republican voters would choose to support in the primary. A recent poll conducted by The Trafalgar Group, an Atlanta-based polling firm, reported that 23% of likely Republican voters would vote for him in the primaries.
The same poll found that roughly 25% of voters backed Evette, 20% backed Norman, 15% backed Mace, 10% backed Reddy, and 4% backed Kimbrell. Roughly 3% backed Jacqueline Dubose, a Republican candidate who has been disqualified from the primaries. The poll had a 2.9% margin of error.
Wilson said he is running for office to be accessible to South Carolinians and accountable for his actions. He said his experience as a combat veteran and as the state’s attorney general sets him apart from other candidates.
“I have a proven record of serving this state and a proven record of fighting for what people want,” Wilson said. “I believe I will be a great governor.”
The gubernatorial primary will be held on June 9 and will determine which Republican candidate advances to the general election in November. There are also three Democrats running: State Rep. Jermaine Johnson, Richland, Upstate business owner Billy Webster, and Charleston attorney Mullins McLeod.
Bella Carpentier covers the South Carolina legislature, state, and Greenville County politics. Contact her at bcarpentier@gannett.com
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The South Carolina Education Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at May 10, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL numbers from May 10 drawing
Evening: 0-4-0, FB: 1
Check Pick 3 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL numbers from May 10 drawing
Evening: 3-6-6-7, FB: 1
Check Pick 4 Plus FIREBALL payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Cash Pop numbers from May 10 drawing
Evening: 04
Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Palmetto Cash 5 numbers from May 10 drawing
15-17-24-32-42
Check Palmetto Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
The South Carolina Education Lottery provides multiple ways to claim prizes, depending on the amount won:
For prizes up to $500, you can redeem your winnings directly at any authorized South Carolina Education Lottery retailer. Simply present your signed winning ticket at the retailer for an immediate payout.
Winnings $501 to $100,000, may be redeemed by mailing your signed winning ticket along with a completed claim form and a copy of a government-issued photo ID to the South Carolina Education Lottery Claims Center. For security, keep copies of your documents and use registered mail to ensure the safe arrival of your ticket.
SC Education Lottery
P.O. Box 11039
Columbia, SC 29211-1039
For large winnings above $100,000, claims must be made in person at the South Carolina Education Lottery Headquarters in Columbia. To claim, bring your signed winning ticket, a completed claim form, a government-issued photo ID, and your Social Security card for identity verification. Winners of large prizes may also set up an Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) for convenient direct deposit of winnings.
Columbia Claims Center
1303 Assembly Street
Columbia, SC 29201
Claim Deadline: All prizes must be claimed within 180 days of the draw date for draw games.
For more details and to access the claim form, visit the South Carolina Lottery claim page.
When are the South Carolina Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 10:59 p.m. ET on Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 11 p.m. ET on Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
- Pick 4: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
- Cash Pop: Daily at 12:59 p.m. (Midday) and 6:59 p.m. (Evening).
- Palmetto Cash 5: 6:59 p.m. ET daily.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a South Carolina editor. You can send feedback using this form.
South-Carolina
Clyburn says record speaks for itself, warns GOP to ‘be very careful what you pray for’
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Rep. Jim Clyburn appeared on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday morning and said he remains confident he could win another term in a redistricted South Carolina.
Host Jake Tapper asked Rep. Clyburn what it would mean for South Carolina voters if his seat, which represents the state’s sixth congressional district, was eliminated. The congressman said voters will have the last word and he will run irrespective of the new makeup of his district.
“I don’t know why people think I could not get re-elected if they redistrict South Carolina,” he said before pointing out his district as currently drawn contains about 45% Black voters. “I have no idea what the demo will be after the legislature finishes [redistricting], but whatever that number is I will be running on a record and a promise – my record, and America’s promise.”
Clyburn, as one of the more prominent Democratic voices in American politics in the South over the past several decades, said his pitch to voters won’t change even if his new district is drawn to house more Republicans.
“I think that it is very clear to most people in America that voters, most voters, believe in fundamental fairness, most voters believe in competence, and most voters can tell the difference between a true public servant and someone who may be in it for the next social hit,” he said.
READ MORE | “Opponents raise racial, representation concerns as redistricting debate continues at State House”
The 17-term representative also said he believes Republicans’ redistricting plan could backfire.
“Be very careful what you pray for, because what I do believe is that when they finish with the redistricting, there will be the possibilities of at least three Democrats getting elected here in South Carolina to the United States Congress,” he said.
If re-elected, Clyburn would begin his 18th term in Congress in 2027. He has served as South Carolina’s representative for its Sixth Congressional District, which through multiple gerrymanders spanning decades has comprised of different parts of the Pee Dee, Midlands, and Lowcountry in some capacity, since 1993.
State lawmakers have pushed the redistricting issue legislatively in the last week in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s decision in Louisiana v. Callais. A special session on redistricting passed on Thursday in the State House, and more House legislation to push back congressional primaries to August advanced to the House Judiciary Committee Friday. The issue is expected to be taken back up in Columbia this week.
READ MORE | “SC House panel approves 2-month delay in congressional primary amid redistricting push”
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