South Carolina city braces for flooding
Water from long-departed Hurricane Florence set to inundate Georgetown
On the weather maps, the last trace of Hurricane Florence disappeared more than a week ago. But the South Carolina port city of Georgetown, where five rivers flow into the sea, is bracing for the worst of its aftermath Wednesday and preparing for floodwaters in downtown areas.
The colonial-era seaport town of
9,000 is particularly vulnerable at the junction where waters from the Intracoastal Waterway and the Black, Great Pee Dee, Waccamaw and Sampit rivers pour into the sea. So much water is flowing downriver that it is backing up other rivers that are not even flooding and could split the county nearly in two.
The latest forecast, however, offered a glimmer of hope. Georgetown County officials said the river flow had slowed and the worst of the flooding is now expected to come on Friday and likely will be in the 2- to 4-foot range, instead of 10.
“That is still above Hurricane Matthew levels, and is very significant and can do a lot of damage. But it’s definitely an improvement on previous expectations,” county officials said on Twitter. On Friday, the Macammay surpassed the previous record high of
17.9 feet set in 2016 by Matthew. Officials cautioned, however, that forecasts could shift again and return to the original 10-foot levels.
County officials urged nearly 8,000 Georgetown County residents to evacuate ahead of the “record event,” The Associated Press said. The SCE&G utility service has turned off all natural gas service to about 200 customers in downtown Georgetown as a precaution. Several shelters were set up at local hospitals.
“The work has been done,” Georgetown Mayor Brendon Barber said. “We just need to pray.”
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources released a map showing likely areas of flooding around Georgetown.
“Residents who live in flood zones along the Intracoastal Waterway, Waccamaw River and Pee Dee River, or who live in areas that may not be in a flood zone but may become isolated due to deteriorating road conditions, are strongly urged to consider evacuation for their own safety and the safety of first responders,” officials said in a statement.
Walls of sandbags protected many shops on Front Street in downtown Georgetown, The Sun News reported. Except for those attending a prayer service Tuesday at a downtown park, the only people in the center of the city were emergency responders and media.
National Guard crews installed a temporary system and sandbags along Highway 17 near the bridge over the Pee Dee and Waccamaw rivers. The guard also has a boat ferry to shuttle goods into Georgetown if the road closes, the newspaper reports.
On Tuesday, in Conway, South Carolina, just 35 miles or so north of Georgetown, multiple feet of water had already filled the streets, damaging homes, according to WMBF-TV.
Up the coastline toward Myrtle Beach, county officials urged people to evacuate the Socastee area because of expected flooding of the Intercoastal Waterway triggered by the rise of the Waccamaw.
Along U.S. Highway 501, Myrtle Beach’s link to inland, water was already touching a temporary barrier of sand and plastic that has been erected to keep water off the bridge. Called the Lifeline, the temporary wall will remain effective if the water doesn’t rise more than an additional 5 feet from its current level, according to the state Department of Transportation.
At least 47 Florence-related deaths have been reported across several states, including North Carolina with 36.