Rescue teams from Tennessee prepared to tackle flooding in SC from Debby

FLORENCE, S.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — Florence County is under a mandatory curfew from sundown Wednesday to sunup Thursday as Tropical Storm Debby bears down on the Pee Dee region of South Carolina.

Around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, heavy downpours were coming down as Debby stalled just off the South Carolina coast. The conditions are worsening into the evening. The rain has been steady all afternoon and getting even heavier tonight.

Florence County knows how to prepare for storms and flooding from area rivers. They dealt with Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018, and now for Debby, they have help.

Teams of first responders came all the way from Tennessee to respond if they’re needed to aid with rescues.

They’re stationed at the Howe Springs Fire Department with two teams and a crew of 24 people total specializing in rescuing people trapped by the floods and getting people out of fast-moving floodwaters.

The crews told Queen City News about the concern that could come days after the storm passes.

“What we hear especially in this area as the storm moves further north and a little west, all that water that comes from the mountains, heads towards here so they see a storm surge from the rivers a day later or so, from all that rain coming down,” said Capt. Brad Elliott with the Knoxville, Tenn., Fire Department. “And if it doesn’t have anywhere to go that’s when they see the widespread flooding and it kind of stays for a little bit.”

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The curfew is in place overnight because that’s when the storm can be most dangerous. That’s when people can’t see the dangers, so they only want people out and about if they need to get to or from work.

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