COLUMBIA - The coastal insurance crisis will affect the whole state if something isn't done soon to control the situation, a series of speakers told a House subcommittee Tuesday.

The spike in insurance rates based on the threat of a devastating hurricane is already bringing the real estate market to a halt, several real estate brokers from Horry and Georgetown counties said.

Others said that if retirees stop moving to the coast, that will worsen the economic impact. Meanwhile, the market could be flooded with hundreds of houses and condos whose owners gave them up for foreclosure, and beach vacations could become too expensive for most S.C. residents.

The subcommittee is studying a bill by Rep. Alan Clemmons, R-Myrtle Beach, to expand the state's wind pool from a narrow coastal strip to all of Horry County. Also under study is a bill from Rep. Vida Miller, D-Pawleys Island, to expand the wind pool to all coastal counties.

About 70 people came to the hearing. The subcommittee said it will call another hearing soon to hear from the insurance companies.

The wind pool is a state-run service that covers areas of the coast. Insurance companies will cover those areas because they are not directly responsible for wind damage.

But many of those who spoke Tuesday said they are outside the wind pool and are seeing their rates raised to a level they can't afford, or they are being canceled and can't find other insurance unless they pay triple or more what they were paying.

Donna Rudkic said she owns a unit at Seagate Village, just outside the wind pool. She said she had planned to move there from New York to retire but is having second thoughts because of the extreme difficulty in finding insurance and paying for it.

"New York state is looking better, although I can't believe I'm saying that," she said.

Eugene Castner is in a similar situation. He has a condo in Myrtle Beach where he planned to retire this year. His insurance went from $151 two years ago to $586 plus special assessments, "making the Myrtle Beach area an undesirable place to retire," he said.

The Myrtle Beach area is going to lose out on the hot baby boomer retirement market if something isn't done, he said.

Ray Hester said he and his wife retired to a condo at Garden City Beach, two miles inland. The insurance went from $500 to $3,900, plus more for the homeowners association. He and his wife both had to take part-time jobs to cover the costs, he said. Both are on their feet most of the day.

"You think I like it? I don't like it at all," Hester said. "We both go to bed at night with our feet aching."

Raymond Burke of Longs said he came to represent his neighbors, old people whose rates have steadily increased in recent years. They are willing to pay a reasonable rate, but the insurance companies are being unreasonable, he said.

"We didn't have anything to do with Katrina," and should not have to pay for it, Burke said. He was the only speaker who got applause.

Ruth Keilen said she saw substantial increases for her home at Indigo Creek, but the problem is the condo at Sweetwater where her son and his three young children live, she said.

He wanted to move to a place with a yard for the children, but the insurance went up so high that he can't sell the condo. He also can't afford the insurance, so Keilen has to help him with it, she said.

Alan Sipe, manager of Jensen's at Garden City Beach, said the whole state should be in the wind pool."We think we need a little help here and it should be statewide," Sipe said. "Spread the risks, and the rates, statewide."

Rep. Skipper Perry, R-Aiken, a subcommittee member, was concerned about spreading risks and rates to his constituents. It's like making a 65-year-old female driver pay for the insurance of the 25-year-old man next door, Perry said.

"I got to have a good reason why people in Aiken County should pay the premiums," he said.

"We're not talking about statewide equalization of premiums," Clemmons said. The issue is that people on the coast should get the same insurance that people in Aiken can get, but that isn't the case.

Other speakers responded to Perry's comment.

"If the bomb plant blew up over there, everybody in the whole state would be over there to help you," said Daniel Dickson. He said he has lived in his house in Charleston for 48 years, but now the insurance companies don't want to cover him.

"We feel your pain," said Rep. Nikki Haley, R-Lexington, a subcommittee member. But there may be no quick solution, she added.