Homes, neighborhood flooded; roads washed out by Debby in Lowcountry, see photos, video

Bob Duverger won't be able to live in his Bluffton, South Carolina, home for about four months.

Flooding from Tropical Storm Debby battered his house this week. "We woke up the next morning; the yard was flooded," he said. "The house was flooded. The carpets were ruined. The floors were ruined. It's all buckled. The garage is flooded."

In the cleanup, he started to move things to higher ground as best he could. "I'm so confused about what's going on, what's happening. We had about five inches of rain in the house. We lost a lot of stuff in the house."

Duverger understands that much of this week's events were out of his control. "You can't fight Mother Nature," he said.

On Thursday, he was trying to figure out his next steps. "We got to find a place to live with the dog and everything else," he said. "It's hard to find a place. We'll go from there ... day by day."

Kim Stenson, with the State Emergency Management Division, spoke about the damage caused by the storm at Gov. Henry McMaster's press conference on Thursday.

"We're looking right now at 70 homes (in South Carolina) with major damage, including one home that's been destroyed, and 15 homes with major damage," Stenson said.

By Thursday, the logistics area had fielded 213 requests across South Carolina, ranging from sandbags to swift water rescue teams. One hundred ninety-six of these had been completed or were in progress.

According to four-day rainfall reports from the National Weather Service issued Thursday morning, some of South Carolina's coastal counties have already seen more than a foot of rain.

Here are some of the highest rainfall totals as of Thursday afternoon:

• Green Pond in Colleton County: 17.35 inches
• Summerville in Dorchester County: 14.86 inches
• Mount Pleasant in Charleston County: 14.71 inches
• Huger in Berkeley County: 14.01 inches
• Seabrook in Beaufort County 13.43 Inches

Following Tropical Storm Debby's devastation this week, South Carolina is focused on issues impacting coastal areas: flash flooding, damage assessment operations, rising rivers, and sheltering.

McMaster described Debby's next phase as "the third act of this three-act play" and was determined to continue leading the state into recovery during a Thursday afternoon press conference.

Tropical Storm Debby flooding in SC

Donnie Jones of Jones Lowcountry Carrier and Transport was helping stranded motorists this week during the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby.

Jones said his company was offering to help people. "There is only one way in and one way out in this area at this point," he said.

McMaster said rivers in the eastern part of the state will not reach the rising levels of Hurricane Matthew or Hurricane Florence, which impacted the area in 2016 and 2018.

However, significant flooding was particularly concerning on the Pee Dee at Cherry, Pee Dee at Pee Dee, Little Pee Dee River near Gallivants Ferry, the Edisto River near Gallivants Ferry, and the French Quarter Creek near Huger. Some of the river flooding will be long-lasting.

The NWS will work with state agencies and local communities to assess the risk for communities along these rivers.

Residents urged to stay away from flooded areas, avoid misinformation

During the meeting, Stenson shared the following guidelines with residents:

∎ Stay away from flooded areas and avoid unnecessary risks

∎ Report any storm damage through the South Carolina Emergency App

∎ Stay connected with reliable information sources for updates. Two of these are your local emergency management officials and SCEMD.org

What to know about road closures

Due to heavy rainfall in Pee Dee and the Charlotte suburbs, there have been 111 road closures statewide, which will change as the storm rolls out. Since the storm, 69 roads have been reopened. It is also important to note that the Department of Environment Services has completed most dam assessments in the area (40 out of 62 dams).

Facing storm impact? Here are some things to remember:

• In areas facing flash flood warnings, if you see flooding on the road ahead while driving, turn around. The National Weather Service warns that most flood deaths occur in vehicles .
• While Gov. Henry McMaster has not ordered an evacuation anywhere in South Carolina, the South Carolina Emergency Management Department encourages residents in storm-prone areas to know their hurricane zone. Additionally, the bottom of the webpage connects residents with their local emergency management office.
• Check for National Weather Service warnings and advisories using your zip code on their website .
• Check out the NWS guide to severe weather and flood safety .

Reporters Nina Tran, Sarah Swetlik contributed to this article.

This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Homes, neighborhood flooded; roads washed out by Debby in Lowcountry, see photos, video