NICHOLS, SC (WBTW) – Floodwaters have risen in Nichols in the aftermath of Florence.
Sam McMillan owns Rodney Moore Farm near the Little Pee Dee River, and witnessed Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
“We were all nervous because we had seen it before with Matthew,” McMillan said about Florence. “And so we were real worried, and I think the Governor and all did a good job of preparing us for that.”
Nichols residents are currently under a mandatory evacuation; however McMillan did not leave the area.
“The biggest advantage was we knew it was coming,” he said about the storm. “Last time we tried to move out at four o’clock in the morning we got stuck, and we lost two cars.”
Houses in the area are submerged, and some roads are impassible because of the floods.
“It’s just heart-wrenching, and as a farmer, we got to go through all this, and we’re losing so many crops, and you just can’t do it year after year and make a living,” said McMillan.
McMillan told News13 he will lose one-third of the profit of his crops.
“It’s hurting the crops,” he explained. “The cotton’s already seeding out, the beans may do alright, but the wind damage is going to hurt the crops big time.”
According to the National Weather Service, the crest for the Little Pee Dee River could reach as high as 54.7 f.t either late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. If it reaches 54.7 ft., the crest would be the same as Hurricane Matthew two years ago. It is currently at 52.64 ft.
The Lumber River near Nichols is currently at 24.39 ft., and during Hurricane Matthew it made it to 27 ft.
“There’s nothing you can do,” said McMillan. “Nothing you can prepare for. I mean you just do what you can, trust in the Lord, and go from there.”
“Everybody’s trying to help other people because they all know what they’re going through,” he said. “Because we’ve all been through it now.”
