Inland S.C. residents brace for flooding

Torrential rains from Ernesto threaten eastern part of state

By SAMMY FRETWELL

sfretwell@thestate.com

Dan Gasque has watched floodwaters cover the fields around his Pee Dee home enough times to make him nervous about Tropical Depression Ernesto.

The storm is expected to hit South Carolina this afternoon, dumping heavy rain on the eastern half of the state as it sloshes into North Carolina. If torrential rains fall, Gasque is sure it will flood his land and the community he has lived in most of his life.

“I just don’t know what to do,” the 53-year-old Williamsburg County resident said. “Thursday is when I’ll do my sweating. The water is my biggest concern.”

Across the interior coastal plain of South Carolina, residents like Gasque braced Wednesday for flooding that could make their lives miserable. While the storm could erode beaches and damage expensive resort properties, it also threatens to flood communities away from the immediate coast.

Ernesto fizzled to a tropical depression Wednesday in Florida but was expected to pass out to sea and regain tropical storm strength.

Forecasters expect Ernesto will then move inland and drench the eastern half of North Carolina with as much as seven inches of rain today and Friday, raising river levels downstream in storm-soaked South Carolina. Ernesto is expected to follow a separate weather system that already was drenching North Carolina.

“North Carolina is getting hit pretty hard right now,’’ said Jonathan Atwell, with the U.S. government’s Southeast River Forecast Center in Atlanta. “Then when you have that tropical moisture coming up (today) with all that rain coming in, it just gets kind of aggravated.’’

Seven years ago, parts of Conway and Longs flooded after Hurricane Floyd dumped buckets of rain on North Carolina. The Waccamaw River, about 15 miles west of Myrtle Beach, rose steadily and escaped its banks after the storm hit.

“It looks like rain is going to be more of the issue,” said Lisa Bourcier, a spokeswoman for Horry County.

Bud Badr, chief hydrologist with the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, said one point in South Carolina’s favor is the recent drought. Parts of the state can withstand the rains more easily because they’ve been so dry and need the moisture. But he agreed eastern South Carolina is more vulnerable.

County and city leaders in the Pee Dee had public works crews on standby if flash flooding or river flooding occurs. Key concerns were keeping ditches cleared.

Meanwhile, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control urged pond owners in 14 eastern South Carolina counties to check small dams and lower water levels to prepare for heavy rains. Those counties include Horry, Georgetown, Williamsburg, Marion, Charleston and Berkeley.

River levels in the Pee Dee region were forecast to rise through the weekend; the question was whether rivers would flood.

Among waterways of concern were:

• The Great Pee Dee in Marion County. It was expected to reach 15 feet by Sunday, four feet below flood stage. The river was less than 5 feet Wednesday, according to the River Forecast Center.

• The Little Pee Dee at the Horry-Marion county line. It was expected to reach 7.2 feet by Sunday, less than two feet below flood stage. The river was 4.6 feet Wednesday.

• Flooding is possible today in low areas near the Waccamaw River, according to the city of Conway. Those include parts of U.S. 378 and U.S. 501, as well as the downtown area near the Horry County courthouse, city officials said.

Horry County officials were bracing for up to 6 inches of rain locally. The county had activated its emergency operations center, and officials were urging people to make sure storm drains and gutters on their property were clear of debris.

In Williamsburg County, a mostly rural area between Columbia and Georgetown, local officials — well aware of what happened in 2004 — met Wednesday to map strategy if flooding occurs. Two years ago, Tropical Storm Gaston dumped 15 inches of rain on Kingstree in a two-day period. That caused substantial flash flooding.

“Williamsburg County is a low area, so the majority of it could flood if we had major storm,” said Zella Major, the county’s public works director.

Gasque knows that. But he said the state and local governments need to keep ditches clear in the community where he lives near Kingstree. He’s had to save livestock after past floods.

“I’ve had to go down there to try to rescue them and had to stand in water. It’s hard.’’

Reach Fretwell at (803) 771-8537. The Associated Press contributed.