'Heartbreaking': SC veterinary hospital incurs severe damage after Tropical Storm Elsa

Jul. 11—A veterinary hospital in Port Royal is looking at an estimated $1 million in renovation costs after a tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Elsa sent several trees crashing through its attic and into its first-floor operating room, its owners say.

Dr. Marikay Campbell and her wife, Shelia Ellis, have run the Port Royal Veterinary Hospital with Shelia's ex-husband, Robert Ellis, since 2009. Before the damage on July 7, the three business owners were proud to be on the other side of a "long road" they had gone down to renovate an addition to their facility two years ago.

"It's been rough; it was pretty heartbreaking initially because our building is so new," Campbell said. "We went through all of COVID and were able to stay open."

The tornado went down Paris and London avenues just before midnight, according to a study conducted by the National Weather Service in Charleston. It then made its way across Ribaut Road, toppling over trees, power lines and tree limbs with maximum winds of approximately 95 mph.

The storm affected communities all across the county: 74 felled trees, five calls about downed power lines and an estimated 7.15 inches of rainfall, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.

"It's kind of overwhelming, but we are trying to take one little bite of it at a time and deal with each little piece," Campbell said.

No pets or people were injured, according to Campbell.

At least three pets were staying at the hospital during the storm, but they were eventually evacuated to an employee's home nearby to wait it out. Within 30 minutes of receiving tornado warning alerts, Campbell and her wife turned on their building's security cameras to see what was happening. They saw water flooding their veterinary operating room and jumped in their car to meet firefighters at the front of the building.

"We saw there was water coming into the building ... We didn't know from where," Campbell said.

The three business owners were excited because they had just begun to let clients come into the building with their pets for the first time since before the pandemic, she said.

"It was much worse than, I think, anybody expected," Campbell said.

The business has structural damage to its roof from the tree that crashed into the building, and water damage to the inside of the building and computers. The team at the hospital is assessing their medical instruments and supplies to see if anything is salvageable.

"Knowing that you have them (insurance) is one thing, trying to understand how everything works is another," Campbell said.

They are hoping they won't have to be closed for too long, Campbell said, but they won't know until further assessments are made. The last several days have been incredibly taxing, Campbell said, but supportive members of the community who have offered their thoughts and prayers have kept them going.

"To have this kind of a gut-punch to completely shut us down for the time being, it's been pretty devastating if we think too seriously about it," Campbell said.

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