Jun 18 2025

Living in Myrtle Beach: Hurricane Prep Guide

living in myrtle beach during a hurricane

Hurricane Season in Myrtle Beach: How to Be Prepared

Living in Myrtle Beach means enjoying ocean breezes, world-class beaches, and a relaxed coastal lifestyle. But if you call this slice of paradise home, it’s important to understand what comes with it—including hurricane season. From June 1 to November 30 each year, residents must stay alert, informed, and prepared to protect their homes, families, and peace of mind.

Whether you’re new to the Grand Strand or a long-time homeowner, this guide will walk you through exactly how to prepare for hurricane season while enjoying the benefits of living in Myrtle Beach.

How to Prepare for Hurricane Season in Myrtle Beach

Step 1: Create a Hurricane Preparedness Plan

Start with the basics: determine your Horry County evacuation zone (A, B, or C). Authorities will issue zone-based evacuation orders depending on storm strength. Know your zone in advance, map out your evacuation route, and have a destination ready if you need to leave quickly. If you have pets, make arrangements for pet-friendly accommodations early, as most emergency shelters do not allow animals.

Step 2: Assemble a Complete Emergency Kit

Every home in Myrtle Beach should have a stocked emergency kit ready before a storm is even on the radar. Your kit should include:

Three days’ worth of non-perishable food and two gallons of water per person, per day
Flashlights, batteries, a battery-operated radio, and phone chargers
First-aid kit, prescription medications, and hygiene items
Cash, important documents in waterproof containers, and clothing

boarding your myrtle beach home for hurricane

Step 3: Secure Your Home and Property

Protecting your home from high winds and flooding is crucial. Trim trees, clean gutters, and secure or store outdoor furniture and decorations. Install storm shutters or board up windows with plywood if a storm is approaching. Check the roof for loose shingles and secure entry points, especially garage doors, to reduce wind intrusion.

Step 4: Review Your Insurance Coverage

If you’re living in Myrtle Beach full-time, understanding your home insurance is a must. Standard policies typically don’t include flood coverage. Look into a separate flood insurance policy and make sure your coverage limits reflect current property values. Take photos or videos of your home’s interior and exterior in advance for claims documentation.

Step 5: Know When to Evacuate

When evacuation orders are issued, don’t wait. Leave early to avoid traffic and worsening weather conditions. Fuel up your vehicle in advance, and have a go-bag ready. If you’re not required to evacuate and choose to shelter in place, stay indoors, monitor local news, and avoid driving through flooded roads.

Step 6: Stay Safe After the Storm

After the storm has passed, proceed with care. Watch for downed power lines, broken glass, and flood-contaminated water. Wear protective gloves and boots when cleaning debris. Take photos of any damage before beginning repairs, and work only with licensed contractors to avoid scams.

Living in Myrtle Beach Means Being Prepared

Part of living in Myrtle Beach is learning how to balance paradise with preparedness. While hurricanes aren’t guaranteed each season, being ready gives you confidence and peace of mind. A little planning now will protect your property, your family, and your lifestyle on the coast.

Final Thoughts

Hurricane season is simply a part of coastal living, and with the right steps in place, you can continue enjoying everything Myrtle Beach has to offer without worry. Make your preparations early, review your plan regularly, and stay connected to local alerts and weather forecasts.

If you’re relocating or considering a move, our team at Myrtle Beach Homes Blog is here to help you find a safe, beautiful home that fits your lifestyle and your long-term plans for coastal living.

Thinking of making a move to Myrtle Beach in the near future? Book a Call with Jeremy to discuss your upcoming move to Myrtle Beach!

Oct 23 2019

Things To Do In Myrtle Beach- Alligator Adventure

The beautiful fall weather has arrived here in Myrtle Beach and it is absolutely magnificent. During the fall, you can expect weather here in Myrtle Beach to range from the high 50’s during the night to mid 70’s/80’s during the daytime. To me this is my favorite weather and I love being able to get outside and take full advantage of things.

So last weekend we decided to take the kids on a trip up to Alligator Adventure at Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach. We have visited here several times over the years while living here in Myrtle Beach, but this still remains one of kids favorite things to do in Myrtle Beach. One quick tip, ask for the local discount and you will save greatly on the cost of admission.

Here’s a video showing off our trip:

My kids always enjoy the live touch show, where this time they were able to touch a live Pancake Tortoise, a Snake, and also a small alligator. During the show, they share with you a bunch of information on each of the creatures.

Our other favorite parts of visiting Alligator Adventure is seeing the Albino Alligators, Utan the largest Crocodile in the United States, the BOB an alligator without a tail, & also Grandpa, a very old alligator with hardly any teeth left.

We spent the good part of the day there at Alligator Adventure visiting all the different exhibits & seeing two of the feeding shows which you definitely want to see in person.

Here are some photos from our recent trip to Alligator Adventure:

So, if you are looking for a fun thing to do in Myrtle Beach, Definitely check out Alligator Adventure!

Sep 17 2019

Carolina Forest Playground- Palmetto Adventure Land Playground

My main job each and every day is selling Myrtle Beach homes, but when I’m not busy with real estate, I am a father to my 3 three children. Right now, their ages are 11, 9, & 5. The other day after the storm, my wife needed some peace & quiet in the house for an hour or so to do some work, so I loaded the kids into the car.

Now that we live in The Farm at Carolina Forest, we have started to explore all types of new experiences of things do do around this area of Carolina Forest & Myrtle Beach. The first thing that came to mind for a fun outing was a trip over to the Carolina Forest Playground officially known as the Palmetto Adventure Land Playground.

This playground is located in the heart of Carolina Forest behind the Library & Recreation center off of Carolina Forest Blvd. This is literally right in the middle of the area with The Parks Subdivision on one side, Plantation Lakes on the other, and Indigo Bay, The Farm at Carolina Forest, Summerlyn, & Waterbridge across the street.

For fun, I decided on this trip to the playground to take along the camera and let the kids have fun capturing memories and helping me make a video of the playground. Here’s what they came up with:

My kids love running all over this playground on all the different ramps, slides, swings, and more. Some of their favorite parts these days are the tire swing, the climbing wall, and the large slide.

When our children were younger, we always loved going to the Carolina Forest Playground because we could let our children play in the toddler area that is sectioned off from the more intense and larger sections and they could play in a safe environment on things designed specifically for their size & age.

Outside the playground area is a digital game which is also a favorite of my children to play when visiting the Carolina Forest Playground. There are also some covered areas which can be reserved for private events. These areas are covered and would be perfect for a small birthday party.

Here’s a few images:

So in closing, if you are looking for something fun to do with the children, I would definitely check out the Carolina Forest playground!

Aug 21 2019

Things To Do In Myrtle Beach- Broadway Grand Prix

We recently took our two oldest children on an adventure to Broadway Grand Prix (formerly known as Nascar Speed Park) for a fun day of racing. My son who is almost 9 has been asking to take a trip here for the past few years and so we promised to take him there as a reward if he did well last year in school.

We knew that my 4 year old Miriam would be a little small for this, so we let her go have a fun day with grandma while we headed over for a fun filled action packed day at the Grand Prix.

While they offer an option of purchasing tickets to write the carts, we opted for the wristband options as we knew we wanted to get the most out of the day and ride multiple times. They have some ticket packages that include arcade tickets & rides, but we opted not to get those this trip, we focused just on the racing.

We headed outside and started of easy by taking the kids over to some of the junior tracks to get practice in learning to drive. My kids are 11 & 8 and they have both never driven any type of motorized machine, so I figured it was best to start them out slow.

We spent most of the day enjoying the 8 different tracks as well as spending some time on the fun rides like bumper cars. Jeremiah loved the ability to crash into his sister.

One of the other fun things we did to take a break from racing that was included in our pass was to play a round of miniature golf on one of the 18 hole courses that are in the middle of the park.

The course wasn’t too difficult for my 8 & 11 year old and was definitely a nice break from the racing. Before heading here, we grabbed some drinks from in food court to help cool down. The course had lots of shade which was nice because the day we were there the temperatures were in the mid to high 80’s here in Myrtle Beach.

Here’s a few more pictures from our trip to Broadway Grand Prix from our day there for you to enjoy:

Of course as leaving, the day wouldn’t be complete without a trip to the winners circle for a final picture. Overall, Broadway Grand Prix was a great experience for my family and definitely was a fun thing to do in Myrtle Beach!

Jul 31 2019

2019 South Carolina Tax Free Weekend Starts August 2nd

The 2019 South Carolina Tax free weekend starts this Friday and will run through the weekend. This is one special weekend that comes once every year right before the school year begins. During this tax free weekend, certain items are sold without any South Carolina tax applied. Some of the items on this list include:

Clothing
School Supplies
Computers & Electronics For Education.

This year’s tax free weekend here in Myrtle Beach, SC is August 2nd-4th. If you would like to see a complete list of items that this tax free weekend applies to, check out this list from the South Carolina Tax office. Also, for more information, make sure to visit the State of South Carolina Department of Revenue site. They have a lot more information including a FAQ section to answer any specific questions you may have regarding this once a year event.

I know in previous years I have seen many people use this weekend to the fullest purchasing new computers for their children to take to school or for a business, purchasing clothing for family members and much more. The weekend is normally a very busy one for malls and electronic stores, so if you are not looking for a great bargain & saving a few bucks, I would suggest skipping the outing to Coastal Grand Mall, The Market Common, or Best Buy of Myrtle Beach this weekend just to window shop.

If you are trying to clean up on these special deals, I would contact the stores you are planning to visit to find out their special hours of operation this weekend. Many are opening early and planning on staying around later than the normal business hours. One thing I know for sure, I have used this weekend to save hundreds of dollars in the past.

As many of you know, I am a large fan of Apple Products and in the past I have purchased computers on this weekend to get the savings. If I were to go out & purchase a new 17″ Macbook Pro this weekend I would save over $250.00 off the price just on tax!

This weekend is the perfect time to save money on back to school clothing, shoes, computers, and so much more in Myrtle Beach & surrounding areas. Some beds and bedding items are also included in the tax free weekend, so if you are buying that new home in Myrtle Beach and want new sheets for your bedroom, you might want to pick them up this weekend & save a few dollars on the taxes.