North Myrtle Beach, Cherry Grove feel the aftermath of Tropical Storm Idalia, minor damage

The Cherry Grove angel weathered Tropical Storm Idalia and a tornado overnight Wednesday, remaining in its new location Thursday morning.

However, other homes in North Myrtle Beach weren’t so lucky as strong winds and rain tore through the Cherry Grove area just before 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The total rainfall for Little River was 7.23 inches and Loris got 8.54 inches, which was the most, according to National Weather Service.

Steve Pfaff, warning coordination meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, said Thursday morning that “circumstantially” he believed that it was a tornado that came through the Cherry Grove area.

Pfaff and survey crews were in Little River and North Myrtle Beach area Thursday to survey damage, he said. He believes the tornado might have crossed U.S. 17 and went into Carolina Shores, North Carolina.

Jeff Etheridge was outside his home on 56th Avenue Thursday morning surveying the damage. The tornado ripped the roof of his home Wednesday night while he was inside.

This is Etheridge’s second home and he came Wednesday to check about potential flooding from the storm. Etheridge was lying on his couch when he got the tornado warning, he said. He got up and his hand was on the door when the tornado hit, tearing the roof off his home, he said.

Etheridge was the only one inside.

Pieces of roof, shingles and large timbers were scattered in the home’s yard and part of the roof was submerged in the canal.

“It can be replaced,” Etheridge said. “That’s the good thing.”

Angel statue survives another storm

The angel statue sat nestled among the sand dunes Thursday morning, having been placed there some time over the last several days.

The beloved landmark was swiped twice last year from its long-time post overlooking the beach.

Nobody seems to know exactly when the concrete marker was placed atop a Cherry Grove Point sand dune, but locals say she made it through at least three hurricanes unscathed — most recently Ian in 2022.

No major damage along North Myrtle Beach beaches

Monty Reed, beach patrol supervisor for North Myrtle Beach, was out patrolling the beaches in the Cherry Grove area Thursday morning.

He said aside from a few lifeguard stands that had shifted, there didn’t seem to be any major damage along the beaches.

Frank Pine, Edward Cruz and Levi Williams were out on the beach at Cherry Grove Point about 8 a.m. Thursday. Cruz and Williams weathered the tropical storm at Pine’s home, where they are visiting from the United Kingdom.

The trip to North Myrtle Beach for Cruz and Williams had already started off rocky with their flight out of London, and then they arrive here and find out there is a hurricane coming.

“I thought, ‘Oh man, it’s coming on all sides,’” Cruz said laughing.

But the three handled the storm in their own way: Eating lobster, getting drunk and then going to bed, Pine said.