GEORGETOWN, SC (WBTW) – Following Irma’s quick entrance into Georgetown County, which left flooding and water filled businesses, business owners attempted to dry out everything to reopen as quickly as possible.
The sandbags and tarps were no match for the rising water for businesses along the Harborwalk.
No more than 24 hours after Downtown Georgetown flooded, cars were back on the roads and the sidewalks were passable.
“It’s almost like we can get back to normal quickly,” says Shannon Murphy, bartender at Castaways.
Monday night, Castaways looked more like a continuation of the Sampit River than a restaurant. Even with sandbags, the owner says they probably got about 16 inches of water in some parts of the restaurant.
“So what we’re gonna do is pull up those wood planks, clean that vinyl flooring and put those wood planks back and dry them out,” says Murphy.
A neighboring business, Cuttin’ Edge, feels fortunate for what little damage was done.
“We only got six inches. That’s pretty miraculous to me,” says Jamie Adams, owner of Cuttin’ Edge Barbershop.
Cleanup for the stores in Downtown Georgetown is a team effort.
“It’s a community effort, and we’re so proud of the community to come in and say ‘hey this is our bar, Castaways is our bar,’” expresses Murphy.
Murphy estimates that it could take up to two weeks before Castaways can reopen.
Georgetown County does not plan to offer curbside collection of storm debris, but recycling center staff in Pawleys Island is increasing Tuesday to handle the amount of waste being dropped off.