People in the Rosewood Estates community and all over Horry County created a petition to stop Horry County from continuing to allow developments and more infrastructure.
“Many of us are still out of our home,” said Terri Straka, one petitioner whose Rosewood Estates home flooded during Hurricane Florence and Hurricane Matthew.
Walking through the home Terri Straka used to live in before Hurricane Florence, you’ll smell yellow jessamine peering through her windows.
It wasn’t always this calm, four feet of water flooded her home during Florence. Now, she and others in the community are begging Horry County to change their focus.
“Without having a strategic plan set, or something to look for or plan for, I think it’s irresponsible to just keep building or allowing building to go on until you have a plan,” she said.
They’ve written a petition to ask the county to focus on the recovery and the safety of people who still suffer from the effects of flooding.
“We want the county to take some time and to figure out the flood issue before they keep building and building,” said Melissa Krupa, one petitioner whose home also flooded in the wake of Florence.
They want the county to stop building developments until it can help people repair and prepare.
“What about all the health issues from, you know, the contamination in the water, or the mold in the house,” said Krupa. “You know, I did everything I could to stop the mold.”
When they approached the county, Krupa says they weren’t open to stopping construction.
“I just feel they’re not doing much to help at all,” she said.
“That’s all we’re asking for. Just something temporary,” said Straka. “A temporary stop until we can get to where we know what we’re supposed to do, or where to go, or what to do.”
Straka currently lives in a hotel, while Krupa moved to Pennsylvania until their homes are liveable again.
The petition currently has nearly one thousand signatures, and the group plans to discuss an injunction or lawsuit against Horry County at its next meeting.
