Powerful storm causes power outages, delays vacationers
Thousands were left without power as a severe coastal storm caused flooding and high winds across the East Coast, causing delays for vacationers.
When Carnival Sunshine passengers returned to the Port of Charleston on Monday afternoon, it was unexpected. Passengers had endured an eventful cruise to the Bahamas when they arrived at a flooded parking lot, ruining their cars.
Over the weekend, severe weather hit the East Coast, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and flooding. By noon Sunday, nearly 4 inches of rain had fallen in Charleston, and the tide gauge was over 9 feet.
When passengers disembarked and arrived at the flooded cruise terminal parking lot, they found their vehicles damaged, if not completely ruined, by the salt water.
“I was pretty shaken up and pretty overwhelmed,” passenger Kit Herold, who was traveling with her two teenage daughters, told USA TODAY.
Herold bought a four-night cruise as a Christmas present. She drove four hours from her home in Forest City, North Carolina, to Charleston in her new 2023 Kia Sportage for the cruise.
People stood there in disbelief, she said. She said: “I could hear people crying and screaming and the car wouldn’t start. They didn’t know what to do.”
“We regret that some of our guest vehicles parked on our port property were affected by the recent storms,” a Carnival Cruise Line spokesperson told USA TODAY in an emailed statement. said.
Carnival suggested passengers contact the appropriate parking authority, making it clear that the parking lot is not a company property. “We did everything we could to help, for example by helping guests contact their insurance companies,” the cruise line added.
In Herold’s words, the cruiser was aware of “astronomically bad weather” on board. Because of the rough seas, many passengers felt that they had had enough vacation and were ready to leave the ship.
Passengers were told that the ship’s arrival at the port would be delayed due to “excessive flooding,” Herold said, but they were not told they needed to prepare anything.
As one of the first groups to arrive at the parking lot, Herold spotted a new car with less than 10,000 miles on it. The airbags were deployed, he had 4 inches of water in his car, and the doors were unlocked.
“I couldn’t believe it because it was a brand new car,” Herold said. “I was upset. I cried, and my daughters stood there with wide eyes and didn’t know what to do.”
Herold said she received no assistance from the South Carolina Port Authority or Carnival staff, but two police officers were on scene.
The SC Port Authority did not immediately respond to USA TODAY’s request for comment, but issued the following statement: ABC News:
Record high tides and unprecedented flooding across downtown Charleston recently affected some cruise trains. The South Carolina Ports team worked closely with passengers, providing assistance from the moment they arrived until the last passenger left the terminal. Port police ensured that passengers received the necessary reports to document the damage with their insurance companies. Passengers will not be charged additional days to use the parking lot and can park their car for as long as they want. Port staff worked around the clock, calling towing companies on behalf of passengers, helping jump vehicles and pumping water, and helping find transportation to area hotels.
The entity said it is not responsible for vehicles or personal property left in passenger parking lots.
Herold called her insurance company and offered to arrange for a tow truck and rental car so she could drive back to North Carolina. When Herold took her Uber to Enterprise, she was told there was a shortage of cars and she would have to wait several hours for one to become available.
Herold said she feels “very blessed” that the airbags deployed and her car was no longer drivable. “A lot of people were told to drive home and it broke down on Interstate 26.”
She specifically said that since the South Carolina Port Authority “did not provide any assistance in response to the catastrophic event that occurred,” the South Carolina Port Authority “stepped up even further and paid to hold the vehicle.” I think there is a possibility that they will refund your money.
She said she was still waiting for a response on the condition of the car. “I didn’t know anything, I was left in an unknown world.”
Kathleen Wong is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in Hawaii. Please contact kwong@usatoday.com..