WBTW

Georgetown County prepares for flooding from Hurricane Matthew

Gabrielle Ware

GEORGETOWN, SC (WBTW) – This time last year people in Georgetown county had to deal with serious flooding from the historic floods. Now, with recent forecasts calling for up to nearly a foot of rain, flooding could be a problem again. County officials gave out 4,000 sandbags in just over an hour Thursday and that was their whole supply.They’ve ordered 5,000 more for Friday.CLICK HERE to watch Georgetown County Emergency Preparedness Live press conference at 1pm.The National Weather Service has coastal areas of Georgetown county under a flash flood watch from Thursday evening to Sunday afternoon. Police patrols in Georgetown have also increased to discourage looting of vacant homes and buildings. People who do choose to stay in their homes do so at their own risk. According to Georgetown county spokesperson Jackie Broach, emergency response is not guaranteed for those who may end up needing help.The county is “strongly urging people to follow the governor’s order and evacuate the area that is indicated, zone A, she said. “We see hurricanes approach this area so frequently that I think a lot of people get complacent about it and when we do have one that gets close and poses a real threat they sometimes don’t take that as seriously as perhaps they should.” But, Broach said orders like this are not issued lightly. Georgetown is still recovering from last years flooding and the county does not have permanent river gauges. They’re working to get temporary gauges ahead the storm. Officials are also letting people know that all bridges are staying open, and if you have any questions concerning the evacuation don’t call 911, contact the disaster call center. Shuttles to an emergency shelter at Andrews Elementary began Thursday morning. Here is a list of locations to catch a bus.