'A nothing-burger': Tybee draws surfers, winds and curious tourists after Ian skirts coast

As high tide slapped against the Tybee Island Pier Friday morning, the beach was abuzz with activity. Families hunted for shells, a few dozen surfers bobbed in the choppy waves, and locals strolled the beach to check out the damage — or lack thereof — wrought by Hurricane Ian’s overnight visit off the Georgia coast.

"It was a nothing-burger," Nick Freeman said as he raced down the sand towards the wave, surfboard in hand. "I’m from south Florida so this was nothing. I don't bat an eye for anything less than a Category 1."

Freeman was one of about 20 surfers taking advantage of the large waves brought ashore by Ian's storm-force winds and seasonally high tide.

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The storm, a Category 1 as it moved up the South Carolina coast, did not make landfall in Savannah but instead skirted the coastline Thursday evening and into Friday morning. Storm surge, flooding and gusts of dangerous winds that were expected never came.

Friday afternoon, Mayor Shirley Sessions said there was no damage recorded and the city's emergency operations center was closed, but city staff and emergency personnel were on standby in case conditions worsened.

"Just in light of watching what happened in Florida... that state is suffering. It's so tragic," Sessions said. "So Tybee is extremely blessed and fortunate to have avoided great destruction."

Tybee Island was still being battered by winds as late as Friday afternoon, but there was no discernible damage on the island, aside from the occasional felled palm frond. By 11 a.m. Friday, the sun was peeking through the clouds, gulls were squawking at tourists and a pod of dolphins were frolicking off the South Beach shore.

Erin and Aaron Powell live on Tybee Island and weathered the storm at home, making nachos. "I think we’ve had more damage with regular storms," Erin Powell said as she and her husband walked the beach Friday. "So we’re very lucky."

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Down the beach, Dave Wilson was taking pictures to send to his brother in Tennessee. The Savannah resident has lived in the area for 33 years, and has only seen a couple major storms blow through Tybee.

"We’ve been dodging a bullet for a long, long time," Wilson said.

Most stores and restaurants were closed on the island, but a few staples kept their doors opened, including Huc-a-poo's Bite and Booze on U.S. 80.

Images from Thursday: High winds and heavy surf hit Tybee as Hurricane Ian makes it's way up the coast

T.S. Chu and Co., a tourist shop and hardware store near the pier, remained open during the storm. "We got hardware in the back, so we’re kind of an essential business," Michael Flores said.

Flores added that they saw plenty of locals preparing in the days leading up to Thursday's storm.

"They get bungee cords, tarps, sandbags and a case of beer," he said. "That’s the Tybee way."

The damage from breakneck currents and winds on the ever-eroding beach at Tybee remains to be seen, according to Sessions, who added that volunteers were working with Georgia Dept. of Natural Resources and the Army Corps of Engineers to assess the beach.

Sessions said the sand dunes and beach provided crucial protection to the city during the storm, and any major storm that blows in from the Atlantic Ocean.

"Our sand dunes (both manmade and natural sand dunes) and the beach renourishment... to see how that type of action stands up to the storms and erosion and hurricanes, it's critical that we continue giving resources and funding to continue this process not only to save property but most importantly, to save lives," she said.

Zoe covers growth and how it impacts communities in the Savannah area. Find her at znicholson@gannett.com, @zoenicholson_ on Twitter, and @zoenicholsonreporter on Instagram. 

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Hurricane Ian: Tybee Island experiences windy day rather than storm