Parts of Myrtle Beach area under water, leaving neighborhood residents wading back home

After the Waccamaw River flooded parts of Conway and Longs, Socastee is the next region to experience flooding following the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, with several feet of flooding on the streets.

Tropical Storm Debby brought up to 19 inches of rain in some parts of Horry County earlier this month, according to the National Weather Service. Socastee got around 8 to 10 inches but is dealing with flood waters from further upstream.

The Intracoastal Waterway near U.S. 544 is sitting around 16.6 feet high and could reach 17 feet by Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The area reached a moderate flood stage late Sunday or early Monday morning.

Parts of the Rosewood neighborhood are completely underwater, with waters on the streets thigh high. Houses in the area appear to be fine but are on the brink of flooding. The brown water is lapping up driveways and hitting the foundations of some homes.

Kristie Smith stood on the deck of her stilted home smoking a cigarette with her husband on Aug. 19. Sitting 10 feet over the water, Smith said she wasn’t worried but said the flooding was annoying. She called out of work that day because she didn’t want to walk through the water to her car.

Not everyone let the flood stop their day. Danny Bryant waded through the flood waters in jeans with two backpacks slung on his back.

“I’m going to visit my best friend,” Bryant said. His friend lives in a stilted house at the end of the street.

Other neighborhoods in Horry County are dealing with more substantial floods. Residents living along Waccamaw Drive near Conway had flood waters inching closer to their stilted houses on Aug. 17.

Billie Jo Blake said she had five feet of water in her backyard and was worried about damages to her house.

The Waccamaw River hit a crest of 14.9 feet on Monday and is expected to stay above 14 feet for the rest of the week, according to the National Weather Service.

Water hadn’t entered Blake’s home on Saturday but wasn’t sure how damaged her property would be after the Waccamaw River receded.

After dealing with Hurricane Florence in 2018, Socastee residents are relatively unfazed about the rising water levels.

Charles Whaley, who has lived along the Intracoastal Waterway on River Road for 40 years, said this flood won’t impact him. On Monday morning his driveway and backyard were underwater but his house was safe.

The water is fine now, but he said if it gets higher, it will start causing damage.

“There’s nothing to do but sit here and watch it,” Whaley said. “Thankfully there’s no boats driving down the waterway.”