The Nation - News from Oct. 4, 1989

Shellfish harvesting off Charleston, S.C., was banned and warnings were issued against swimming in ocean water and rivers choked with untreated sewage because of damage from Hurricane Hugo. Crews working to re-establish a land link between the offshore barrier islands and the mainland hoped to raise the Ben Sawyer Bridge back into place today. The bridge, tilted at a 45-degree angle, has rested in the Intracoastal Waterway since the hurricane struck Sept. 21. Sewage treatment plants in the area are only partially operational and are removing only 30% of the pollutants from sewage. Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-S.C.) said he would ask for an investigation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to victims of the hurricane, but Marilyn Quayle, wife of the vice president, said the agency had been unfairly criticized. She was in Charleston to help at disaster and American Red Cross centers.