Back-to-back brushes with tropical systems along the S.C. coast have proved storms can cause damage even if they don’t knock down buildings or flood rivers.

The economic impact of Hurricane Charley’s mid-August mandatory evacuation alone is estimated at $30 million. Hotel occupancy during the visits by Gaston and Frances, both tropical storms by the time they reached South Carolina soon after Charley, also were down by about 20 percent compared with similar dates last year.

“Everyone’s hit on the weekend,” said David Waller, marketing director of The Yachtsman hotel at Myrtle Beach. “It’s just been awful.”

And he wasn’t talking about the weather. For example, as Hurricane Frances pummeled Florida last weekend, the Grand Strand actually enjoyed sunny days. That didn’t matter; people had changed their plans based on forecasts that Frances could make its way to South Carolina during the weekend.

“Last weekend was the worst hit,” Waller said. “Normally, it’s like a July Fourth weekend, 100 percent full. Last week, we had more questions about canceling reservations than about booking rooms.”

Only 60 of the hotel’s 152 rooms were booked for the entire weekend, he said.

Overall hotel occupancy along the Grand Strand was about 73 percent Labor Day weekend, compared with about 90 percent the year before, according to a survey by Coastal Carolina University. Some of that drop could be attributed to the lack of a NASCAR race at nearby Darlington this year and to Labor Day falling later this year.

Hotel occupancy along the Grand Strand also was down about 20 percent the weekend before, when Gaston drenched the coast.

Two weeks earlier, Charley spoiled one of the last big weekends of the summer. Gov. Mark Sanford ordered the mandatory evacuation of properties east of U.S. 17-Business on Aug. 13, leading to an estimated $30 million financial hit.

The Category 1 storm caused minor structural damage and temporarily knocked out power for thousands as it came ashore near Myrtle Beach on Aug. 14.

The storms, and the threat of storms, have put a dent in what had been a good summer season for coastal entertainment giant Burroughs & Chapin, said company spokesman Pat Dowling.

Business at outdoor venues such as NASCAR Speed Park have been hit hardest, while retail and hotel businesses are holding their own.

“We’re still a little bit ahead of last year in terms of revenue, but a few more storms and we won’t be,” Dowling said.

In Charleston, hotel occupancy was down about 12 percent in August compared with last year, said Tripp Hays, president of the Greater Charleston Hotel and Motel Association.

This time of year, Charleston relies on tourists who make the weekend drive from places such as Charlotte. “Those people driving in don’t want to take the risk if a storm is threatening,” said Hays, marketing director at the Mills House Hotel.

Four wedding parties planned at the Mills House were canceled by out-of-town groups Labor Day weekend, Hays said.

In the Hilton Head area, hotel occupancy was down about 16 percent during Labor Day weekend and down about 14 percent during the Charley weekend, said Charlie Clark of the Hilton Head Island Visitor and Convention Bureau.

Now, tourism officials are keeping an eye on Hurricane Ivan, projected to head this way. However, the current forecast has the storm coming through the area in the middle of the week, not on a weekend.

Reach Holleman at (803) 771-8366 or jholleman@thestate.com