SOCASTEE, SC (WBTW) – Horry County police are patrolling the flooded neighborhoods to ensure people don’t drive through flooded streets and create wakes in the water.
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources is patrolling the Intracoastal Waterway. And as river levels rise after experiencing heavy rain across the region, some homes in Socastee are flooding.
Jim Fabroni, who lives in the Bridge Creek neighborhood, has to wear rain boots inside his home to stay dry. There are almost four inches of water in his house, and he expects more to come.
Fabroni’s house has flooded 14 times in the 22 years he and his wife have lived there. This time, however, they have nowhere else to go. “You have to deal with what you have and work within those limits, so right now we’re actually staying here.”
Bridge Creek isn’t the only neighborhood that is almost underwater. Down the road, neighbors in Rosewood are on edge as the water creeps closer to their homes.
“I’m ready to cut my losses. I just don’t want to live here any more,” Carol Le, who has lived in Rosewood for 25 years said. Le hasn’t finished renovating her home from Hurricane Florence, and now the water is knee-deep in her front yard.
Paul Richardson Road Closed
“It’s just so many different emotions, that you know everything you worked for your whole life, planned on retiring and living here, and it’s all gone, so your whole life has changed,” Le said.
Marion County flooding
The Marion County Sheriff’s Office reports flooding on roads in the Gresham and Brittons Neck area. Please use caution and do NOT drive into the water.
Two rivers in moderate flood stage
Based on NOAA’s website, there are two rivers currently at moderate flood stage. The Pee Dee River has been falling while the Waccamaw River in the Conway area has been slowly rising.
Horry County councilman, Cam Crawford says county leaders are working to obtain funding from HUD that would relocate people who live in flood-prone areas. At the state level, county leaders are working on a resiliency fund which would address any lack of funding from FEMA or HUD, thereby making a buyout whole.
“I do think that’s a very important part of the equation, is actually relocating people out of affected areas, flood plains and so, that’s what that funding will help us do,” Crawford said.
Crawford says the county is working to expedite that process, however, it still may take two to three years to complete.
“It’s just not comfortable. Your home is your home, that’s just the way it is. Everybody feels the same way about their home. That’s the hardest part about the multiple times is you lose so much time in your home,” Fraboni said.
In the meantime, Fraboni will watch the water continue to rise in his home and prepare for another renovation.