SOCASTEE, SC (WBTW) – Linda Fraboni and her husband gutted their home on Starcreek Circle in Socastee for the sixth time after it flooded with water from Hurricane Florence.
The couple has lived in their house for 21 years; their first flood was 18 inches of water, three months after they first moved in.
“It just gets progressively worse over time,” Fraboni said.
After Hurricane Florence, their home flooded with six feet of water. According to Fraboni, losing everything and having to start over from scratch is beginning to take its toll.
“I think one of the hardest parts for us is you lose your strength and resolve. It beats you down a little each time,” Fraboni said.
Fraboni’s daughter, Ashleigh Mooney, who also lives on Starcreek Circle, is rebuilding her home after it flooded for the second time.
“Every penny you put into having your home, and making your house your home, and putting your feelings and emotions into it, soo come home and see the devastation, it’s awful. I mean, it breaks your heart,” Mooney said.
Mooney and her husband have lived in the Socastee neighborhood for 10 years. They say they had plans to move before Hurricane Florence hit, however, quickly realized they would have trouble selling their house because its value has diminished with each flood. Mooney says she would have difficulty passing the burden of owning a flood-prone home onto a potential buyer.
“You put your hard-earned money, and your life and heart and soul into making it your home, and then a year later it goes away. It’s just not fair, it’s not fair to anybody. It’s not fair to put this house up for sale and make someone else go through this again,” Mooney said.
Mooney and her husband plan to rebuild their home, however, Fraboni is bracing herself for another flood.
“I want it to feel like home,” Fraboni said. “But at the same time, there’s always that little voice in the back of your head that’s like, ‘It’s gonna come again. Don’t get too happy. Don’t get too relaxed. It’s gonna come again.'”
