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The Sun News
Tropical Storm Debby raising rivers across Horry County. Where flooding will be a concern
By Emalyn Muzzy,
11 days ago
Amanda Watts walks to the back of her yard and points at a butter knife sitting in a pool of water in the ground. She said she stuck it in the ground on Sunday as way to watch flood levels.
“I put the knife in when it was dry,” Watts said. “Now the water’s up to here.” She points at the ground a foot away from the knife.
The water is slowly flowing into the backyard of her home near the Waccamaw River on Star Bluff Road in the Longs area but Watts said she’s not worried about her home flooding. She’s lived on the land her whole life, as it’s a piece of family property.
Part of living on the river means dealing with floods.
Amanda Watts walks back from her backyard that is slowly flooding. Watts lives along the Waccamaw River and has watched it rise since Tropical Storm Debby arrived the week of Aug. 4. She said she’s worried about her home flooding. Jason Lee/jlee@thesunnews.com
Previous flooding events like Hurricane Matthew and Florence happened during the off-season so Watts was able to stay in a vacation rental for cheaper. If her house floods again, she said she doesn’t know where she’ll go. Watts doesn’t appear anxious, stating it more as a fact.
The Waccamaw River in Longs is currently in a moderate flood at 13.65 feet. It’s expected to crest around 14.7 feet on Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service.
Across the street, Watts’ cousin Saundra Watts Barnhill said she’s not worried about her house but heads over to her river walk that’s become a river swim. The walkway that normally allows her to stroll over the river to her floating dock is completely underwater with only the posts sticking out.
Barnhill and her husband had to add extender poles to the dock rings because the river was about to sweep the dock away.
Other parts of the Waccamaw River, like the end of Big Gutter Lane have flooded as well. Nobody was home on Monday, but kayaks sat at the water’s edge, ready for when residents needed to paddle home through the water.
Residents located at the end of Big Gutter Road in Longs are dealing with the Waccamaw River flooding as a result of Tropical Storm Debby. Jason Lee/jlee@thesunnews.com
The Waccamaw River near Conway is facing more flooding. It’s currently at 12.1 feet and is expected to crest at 14.5 feet around Aug. 19, according to the National Weather Service. Various communities located near the river are expected to flood as water levels continue to rise.
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