When Hurricane Matthew ripped through Hilton Head Island one year ago, the island lost thousands of trees.
A year later, island residents have had the time to process the loss and reflect on the full effects, positive and negative.
Some lost privacy and shade that came along with their trees. For others, the loss brought welcome change — a boon for business, a chance to grow some sun-loving plants, a view they had always hope for.
Hilton Head — a town that is devoted to preserving trees — lost an estimated 120,000 trees after Hurricane Matthew, Scott Liggett, the town’s director of public projects and facilities, said at the time.
To visitors today, the loss is inconspicuous. To residents, however, the holly they lost in their front yard or the oak tree that went down in their side yard is still hard to forget.
Terry Hipp, a resident of Hilton Head Plantation, lost 12 trees on her property, including four that landed on her home. Although she still has not been able to move into her house full-time since Matthew, she said she’s clearly noticed a difference.
Where five trees once stood — creating a buffer between the road and her house — large stumps have taken their place.
“The view of my house (from the road) used to be obscured,” Hipp said. “I could walk around in my pajamas in the front of the house, and it was fine. But now, I feel like I couldn’t. I’m going to have to be properly clothed or have all the blinds and curtains closed.”
Hipp’s bedroom is the only room in her house with actual curtains, she said. Her dogs, unlike her, are relishing in their new unobstructed view.
“Now the dogs stand in the front of the house and bark at every person and car that goes by,” she said. “It’s all exposed so that the dogs see everything. They’re barking constantly.”
Situations such as Hipp’s proved to be unexpected gifts to local companies that specialize in windows and blinds, which saw business boom in the aftermath of Matthew.
“We saw quite a bit of increase,” said Bob Engler, owner of Budget Blinds of the Lowcountry. “We had a lot of folks call very near after the storm, but we’ve even seen a trickle effect six to eight months later ... because some people had to wait to do repairs and settle up on insurance.”
Engler said it was pretty obvious why people needed his services when he arrived at a house.
“One house that we did a project on a year or two ago I didn’t even recognize, because there were no trees around it anymore,” he said. “Initially we didn’t do their windows in the living room because they had privacy from the trees and liked the windows open. Now they had no buffer, and it felt kind of like living in a fishbowl.”
John Iannazzo, owner of Liberty Wallcoverings and Window Blinds, recited similar experiences.
“It hit me as soon as we came back onto the island,” Iannazzo said. “I thought this (the tree damage) is terrible, but people are going to have a lot less shade and a lot more sun. … You have to look for the silver lining of course.”
For many people, like Iannazzo’s parents, they saw an overnight change in their surroundings, he said.
“You could go on their back deck and for the 360 degrees around, you wouldn’t see any neighbors. Now you can see them all,” he said. “They went from complete privacy to no privacy.”
Jim Donohoe, a Hilton Head Plantation resident, was one of those residents who felt the loss of privacy. But he said he viewed the loss of his trees as a “mixed blessing.”
Donohoe built his home on the 18th hole of Dolphin Head Golf Course in 1995. At that time, he wanted to cut down some trees to gain a better view of the course, but the plantation wouldn’t allow him.
After Hurricane Matthew, however, he lost 12 trees — including one that fell on his house — and found himself with the view he originally wanted more than 20 years ago.
“The view is much better than it was before, so it’s kind of a mixed blessing,” Donohoe said. “I got a much bigger yard than I had before ... and got a better view, but the storm cost us roughly $5,000 in roof damage and $30,000 in tree removal.”
Barbara Arnold, a resident of Long Cove for 17 years, also reflected on the positive and negative effects of losing trees on her property because of Matthew.
“We greatly miss the beautiful canopy of trees that shielded our deck and backyard,” she said. “On the plus side, our new lawn and garden are now flourishing.”
“And,” she added, “our golf course view is panoramic.”
Maggie Angst: 843-706-8137, @maggieangst
