MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WBTW) – While many people in Horry County have lost their homes from the flood, the owner of the Midtown Hotel in Myrtle Beach says only some have found a more permanent place to stay; the rest are still living in his hotel rooms.
Sheila Allison says her house in Rosewood was flooded to the ceiling, and she’s had nowhere else to stay but the Midtown.
“All I wanted to do was sit and cry. I wanted to go home, but there was no home to go to,” Allison said. “(The flood) took everybody’s home in the lower part of Rosewood, and so many people are homeless because of it.”
Allison is one of around 30 who have been staying in the hotel since the flood. While Allison says she can finally check out on Friday, most won’t be able to leave as soon.
Cassandra Nothstein lost her home in Lee’s Landing from the flood. She says her house is completely destroyed, and she has no where else to go. Nothstein wants to find a more permanent place for her to live with her two children.
“I know I can’t stay here much longer because, one, it’s not a place for kids. I want stability for my children, and two, I really can’t afford to be paying for this when I could be paying for a house,” Nothstein said.
So far, Nothstein has not been able to find another place to go.
The owner of the Midtown Hotel, Jaret Hucks, says he is trying to help the 30 flood survivors who are left, find a new home.
“I expect to lose about four or five over the next week, and I say lose, because it’s like losing some of your family that’s been here for over a month now, but it’s okay because they’re going back home,” Hucks said.
The flood survivors who are staying at the Midtown Hotel have started a Facebook page to help each other find new places to stay.