Campus Alert Archive
CCU

Debby Sends Coastal Carolina's Football Team to NC State as the Waccamaw Rises Toward Major Flood Stage

SChurricaneemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Tropical Storm Debby scaled back day-to-day operations at Coastal Carolina University on Thursday, August 8, 2024 and chased the football team out of state to NC State for training camp. The Waccamaw River — which runs along Conway and the CCU campus — was forecast to crest at major flood stage days later as Debby's slow-moving rainfall pushed runoff downstream.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Coastal Carolina University
Public R2 · SC
~10,800 studentsCCU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstructionWBTW Grand Strand reporting on CCU operational scaling346 chars
CCU Alert: Coastal Carolina University will scale back day-to-day operations on Thursday, August 8 in anticipation of Tropical Storm Debby's impacts. Only essential personnel should report to work. Hicks Dining Hall will be open from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. All other food service locations will be closed. Stay safe, Chants.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Coastal Carolina's mascot is the Chanticleer (Chant)
The university maintained limited dining service even with most operations closed — a notable accommodation for residential students who could not travel
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstructionESPN reporting on CCU football's evacuation to NC State364 chars
CCU Alert: Due to forecast rainfall amounts of up to 30 inches across the Grand Strand, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football has relocated training camp to NC State for the remainder of the week. Student-athletes departed campus this afternoon. Residential students should monitor email and the CCU Alert system for any escalation. Conway is under a flood watch.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Forecasts for the Grand Strand initially projected up to 30 inches of rain — at the high end of any Atlantic tropical event in modern Horry County history
Conway and the CCU campus sit on the floodplain of the Waccamaw River, which historically crests several days after coastal rainfall
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstructionSC Commission on Higher Education Tropical Storm Debby closure list405 chars
CCU Alert: Coastal Carolina University will return to normal operations Monday, August 12 pending final inspection of campus. The Waccamaw River is rising and is forecast to crest at major flood stage in Conway later this week. Students traveling to campus should plan for road closures in low-lying areas. Monitor the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education at che.sc.gov for any statewide updates.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

The Waccamaw River crested at major flood stage in Conway on August 12-13, 2024, but the CCU campus itself stayed dry
Many low-lying access roads to the campus were closed for several days after the storm passed
Context

Background

Tropical Storm Debby produced forecast rainfall up to 30 inches across the South Carolina Grand Strand in early August 2024 — extreme totals that drove Coastal Carolina University's football team to evacuate to NC State for the duration of training camp. The university scaled back day-to-day operations on Thursday, August 8, keeping only essential personnel on site, while Hicks Dining Hall operated on a limited schedule to feed residential students. The campus avoided direct flooding, but the Waccamaw River — which winds through Conway just south of campus — crested at major flood stage on August 12-13, several days after Debby's rain bands had moved offshore. The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education tracked statewide closures on its dedicated Hurricane Debby page. Debby's slow forward speed and torrential rainfall along the Carolinas was a textbook example of a Big Bend-to-Grand-Strand secondary-landfall pattern) producing damaging rainfall hundreds of miles from the initial impact zone.
Analysis

Key Findings

CCU scaled back operations to essential personnel only on Thursday August 8 — a 'partial closure' tier short of full shutdown
The football team relocated training camp to NC State to escape forecast 30-inch rainfall
Hicks Dining Hall maintained limited service to feed residential students through the storm
The Waccamaw River crested at major flood stage days after Debby's outer bands moved offshore, complicating road access
Outcome
Day-to-day operations scaled back August 8. Essential personnel only. Football team relocated training camp to NC State. Hicks Dining Hall on limited schedule. No campus deaths or injuries.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Coastal Carolina University shutting down as Tropical Storm Debby moves across Grand Strand - WBTW
    wbtw.com
  2. national media
    Coastal Carolina moves camp to N.C. State to escape Debby - ESPN
    espn.com
  3. Official
    Tropical Storm Debby Higher Education Closures and Delays - SC CHE
    che.sc.gov
  4. News
    Waccamaw River set to crest at major flood stage, disrupting life in Conway - WPDE
    wpde.com
Tags
tropical-stormdebbygrand-strandsouth-carolinaconwaywaccamaw-riverpartial-closurefootball-evacuationessential-personnel-only
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion