Beaufort storm & claim resource

Beaufort sits at the center of the Lowcountry, low on the Beaufort River in a maze of marsh and tidal creek. Gracie came ashore near here in 1959 as a major hurricane; Matthew’s eyewall raked the county in 2016. Between storms, the historic Point floods on a high tide and a hard rain — and the claims that follow raise the hardest question in South Carolina property insurance: was it wind or was it water?

What Beaufort claims turn on

A homeowners policy covers wind but excludes rising water, so after every storm the carrier and the NFIP argue over which peril did the damage on the same house. Surge and tidal flooding are flood, needing NFIP or private flood coverage; wind is covered behind a named-storm deductible set as a percentage of insured value. Wind-driven rain through a breached roof is covered even when the surge below is not — that causation line is where the fight lives. Beaufort’s stock of historic antebellum homes adds a second battle: when original slate, tin, or heart-pine can’t be matched, the scope of a proper repair multiplies.

The law here

South Carolina has no matching statute, so a demand to match undamaged roof, siding, or trim turns on the policy’s “like kind and quality” language and, often, appraisal. Bad-faith conduct is governed by S.C. Code § 38-59, and § 38-59-40 shifts attorney’s fees when an insurer refuses to pay a covered loss without reasonable cause. Every deadline and figure on this page is general information — confirm your policy, your dates, and the current statutes with counsel before relying on them.