SOCASTEE, SC (WBTW) – The Rosewood Community is flooding for the second time this year following the first back in February. Nearly 60 homes are surging in water and neighbors are demanding answers.
Water levels have been rising for several days. Streets along the channel are blocked preventing residents from getting in and out of their home.
Thousands of dollars have been wiped from neighbors following floods starting in 2015.
“It’s been 28 years since I’ve lived out here,” Terri Straka, a Rosewood community resident said.
The standing water on Rosewood Drive is more than flooding. It’s emotion wrapped up in chaos and tears.
“I’ve got elderly people that are having to come out and do their daily duties and they are falling in this water, they’re tripping, they’re getting hurt,” Straka said.
The Rosewood Community began seeing this kind of flooding in 2015. Five years later, neighbors are comparing it to watching the Titanic in slow motion.
“It’s the anxiety and thought of this is coming in the house it’s moving a couple of inches every day,” Patrick Lanahan said.
Neighbors say 20 to 30 homes have water damage inside. Residents tell News13 they’ve shared their ongoing concerns with local and state leaders. Multiple studies have been conducted but they haven’t seen results.
Now, emotion and frustration escalate as neighbors say they continue to receive no response from emergency management, county, or state representatives. One resident purchased a Rosewood home with a family inheritance in the last few weeks, but to his surprise, the property’s flood history was never disclosed.
“This is horrible, me and my wife don’t even want to move in, we are ready to do whatever we can to sell the house, put it back on the market and take our losses if we can,” Peter Tomasula, new resident said.
Residents say they haven’t seen any results or implementations of projects. With each flood comes the loss of thousands of dollars for some residents.
Neighbors say their livelihood is impacted all while anxiety and fear continue growing during hurricane season. The Director of Community Development says the county is working on a plan to present at the state and federal level. The plan is comprised of two components.
“A buyout program is a critical component that people need to assess their risk and move if they deem that appropriate for their home,” Courtney Frappaolo, Horry County Director of Community Development said.
The other element would also aim to assess risk and prepare residents for flooding making data more readily available. For neighbors who have only called Rosewood home, a buyout isn’t an option.
“We are hard-working people, we don’t have the money to sustain this over and over again so where do we go what do we do? We need help,” Straka said.
Local leaders plan to share flood mitigation plans, progress, and updates on HorryCounty.org/resiliencyproject