CONWAY, SC (WBTW) – Horry County residents brought their questions and concerns regarding flood damage and hurricane preparation to state and federal representatives at a community workshop on Wednesday.

Congressman Tom Rice joined a panel of state and federal agency representatives to meet face to face with people of Horry County and jump into floodwater issues and concerns.

“I wanted people on the ground in the counties and cities who deal with it everyday to be able to look those folks in the eye and say ‘here is what we think is important in our area, please make sure you consider those,” Rice said.

Residents impacted by floodwaters stepped up to advocate and rebuild what was lost. One Longs resident lives in a development community of 175 homes and said almost all experienced dramatic flooding.

“All of the first floor of the condos flooded and only two of our homes did not flood,” Carole Manniom said.

Horry County residents like Manniom, who continue hurricane recovery three years later, came to today’s workshop with questions and concerns.

Congressman Rice immediately addressed the district’s need to improve disaster mitigation.

“We just got one hundred and fifty-seven million federal dollars awarded to the state of South Carolina for disaster mitigation,” Rice said.

Awarded federal funds will allow for planning and preparation to prevent future damages from occurring as significantly as recent years.

Residents brought their own suggestions that they think would have a positive and economical impact in reducing future flooding.

One suggestion included the branches of the Waccamaw River and Buck Creek be “cleared and snagged.”

Clearing and snagging is removing logs, boulders, drifts, and other obstructions from a channel.

Residents addressed the Waccamaw River as an issue, as it may be clogged by various kinds of obstructions and cause the water to be blocked from flowing properly.

“That has not been done in the Waccamaw or any of the tributaries since the 1950’s,” Manniom said.

State Floodwater Commission, Disaster Recovery, and Emergency Management Division were three of the agencies joining Tom Rice in identifying future plans and priorities in district seven and Horry County.

Rice says he will make sure of two things.

“A. The projects we choose help the most people. B. You better believe I am focusing on the fact the seventh district of South Carolina which has been flooded over and over again will be prioritized in that allocation.”

Some attendees said workshops like today help communicate local issues that involve agencies and make progress identifying flood solutions.

Count on News13 to keep you updated with county and district flood improvements and local workshops.