Hugo was the first of the modern Killer storms, I could not believe the damnage done by Hugo. Done to building that have stood since 1700's. In an area that sees lots of huricanes. A hugo would have wiped out South West Fla, not just the coastal islands and bays, but all of south west fla within 20 miles of the coast.
Maybe more than 20 miles from the coast. I drove up I-95 one night about a week after Hugo. From maybe St. George to the N.C. state line, almost all the billboards and most of the road signs were blown down.
At many of the exits, the power was still out. Sometimes the power was on, and the spotlights that had illuminated the billboards shone up into the sky.
Trees had fallen over the interstate, especially above Santee, and the roadway was still pitted and pocked where they had fallen. The trunks had been cut at the edge of the emergency lane and dragged off the pavement, but you could still see all the fallen trees right at the edge of the emergency lane.
It was an eerie drive, and if I hadn't known my mile marker, I wouldn't have known where to get off that night.
"Hugo was the first of the modern Killer storms..."
http://www.maritimemuseum.org/camille/