Myrtle Beach Begins Sand Restoration
Myrtle Beach, SC has begun a major renourishment project to restore eroded beachfronts, benefiting beachgoers and local tourism. However, beach safety concerns persist after three adults and one juvenile were shot during a 'takeover' event at Jacksonville Beach. On the Gulf Coast, a dolphin washed ashore in Gulfport, marking the start of marine mammal stranding season.
- The $72 million Myrtle Beach renourishment project is fully funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and will place two million cubic yards of sand along 26 miles of the Grand Strand. This effort is a direct response to coastal erosion caused by Hurricane Ian in 2022 and Hurricane Debby in 2024. - The project, contracted to Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company, is scheduled for completion by mid-summer 2026. Work is being conducted in phases, starting in North Myrtle Beach in December 2025, moving to the City of Myrtle Beach in February 2026, and finishing in Garden City and Surfside Beach in April 2026. - The shooting in Jacksonville Beach occurred during an unpermitted "teen takeover" event held near the authorized Community First Seawalk Music Festival. Police believe there may have been more than one shooter, and no arrests have been made in the incident which left multiple people with non-life-threatening injuries. - The Jacksonville Beach incident was one of three separate shootings that occurred in Duval County over a single weekend, resulting in a total of ten people shot. - Marine mammal strandings, like the dolphin in Gulfport, can be caused by a wide range of factors, including illness, injury, parasites, and harmful algal blooms. Human-related activities such as boat strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and pollution are also common causes. - The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies (IMMS), based in Gulfport, is the primary organization that responds to marine mammal strandings along the Mississippi coast. Experts advise the public never to push a stranded animal back into the water, as it is often sick or injured and doing so can cause further harm.
