People living near the Waccamaw River in Longs and Conway are sharing how high waters are impacting them as the river rises into a major flood.
The flooding is a result of Tropical Storm Debby, which hit the Myrtle Beach area the week of Aug. 4, 2024. It dumped between 8 and 19 inches of rain , depending on the area of Horry County, according to the National Weather Service. Rain waters from further upstream have entered the river and are causing them to flood.
The Waccamaw River near Longs reached its crest of 14.6 feet on Thursday and has begun to slowly drop, hitting 14.4 feet Friday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
The Waccamaw River near Conway became a major flood Friday morning after it rose to 14 feet. The Conway area is expected to hit its crest around 14.9 feet on Sunday.
The Pee Dee River is also on its way up, sitting at 19.22 feet Friday morning. The river will hit its high of 20.5 feet to 21.5 feet around Aug. 18 and 19, according to the National Weather Service.
The degree of flooding has not been shared, so its unknown if the Pee Dee River will bring minor, moderate, major or no flooding.
Across Horry County, all but four boat landings have closed due to flooding. At many, the parking lot is completely underwater and the space between the river and bridges are becoming nonexistent.
The U.S. Coast Guard has implemented a temporary no-wake zone on the Intracoastal Waterway through Aug. 23, or until high waters recede, from the Fantasy Harbour Bridge to Bucksport Marina, to include Rosewood and Lawsons Landings.
The waterway could also flood the Socastee area. The waterway is currently 15.67 feet high near S.C. 744 and could rise up to 17 feet around Aug. 19 and 20. It’s currently in a minor flood but a 17 foot crest would cause it to be a moderate flood.
Although it appears that flooding has not substantially harmed any homes, it has begun to impact people’s everyday lives.
Danielle Harper lives along the Waccamaw River in Longs and said Monday that she has to kayak to her stilted home due to flooding. Harper is currently five months pregnant and has opted to stay at the hotel she works at rather than boat home everyday.
She will return every few days to check on the home but expects the flooding to stay for around 10 to 15 days.
“It’s not too terrible,” she said of the current flooding. “We haven’t lost anything.”
Elsewhere, people have reported the Waccamaw taking over their backyards. Jo Dean Faulk Spivey shared a picture of her deck on Aug. 12 which had a layer of water on top. In the photo, it was inching toward the benches of her picnic table.
Downtown Conway is seeing some flooding as well. The Conway City Marina and parts of the river walk are closed as they are slowly inundated with river water. The Waccamaw River Park and some roads in the city have also closed as a result.
Roads across Horry County have closed as the rivers overtake them. Road closures include Red Bluff Road, Lee’s Landing Road, Depot Road, part of Old Reeves Ferry Road, Waccamaw Drive and the Pee Dee Highway, according to the South Carolina Department of Transportation.
Donna Karakatsani shared a video of a vehicle driving through flooding along Lee’s Landing Circle on Facebook. The water got deeper the closer to the river she got, with what looked like a stream crossing the road.
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