NICHOLS, SC (WBTW) – Nichols residents look forward to having hundreds of volunteers clean out the ditches and canals in their town in hopes of preventing future floods.
Much of Nichols became a river after Hurricane Florence last October. The floodwaters got into the home of life-long resident, Emily Johnson, taking all her belongings with it.
“I lost every piece of furniture I had, every picture of the kids when they were babies, everything,” Johnson said.
2018 wasn’t the first time Johnson had more than three feet of water inside her house, and she worries it won’t be the last. However, as a homeowner, it isn’t easy to just pack up and move to higher ground.
“I own my house. I can’t sell it, nobody’s going to buy it. They may come in and offer me 20,000 dollars for it, but I can’t afford it. I can’t afford to move,” Johnson said.
People who live in Nichols felt stuck, but now there may be some hope. On Saturday, volunteer crews will clean out the ditches and canals and fix the drainage system to help prevent another flood.
Johnson says she has waited for a project like this for years.
“I had heard it so many times before, I really didn’t think that it would happen. That canal back there hasn’t been flowing for years. It’s just stagnated water,” Johnson said.
Governor Henry McMaster will also be present and will speak at Nichols Town Hall Saturday beginning at 9 in the morning.
