DHEC says “at-risk” dam will not impact flooding
Horry County evacuated 12 people from Bucksport Thursday as flooding on the Great Pee Dee River caused the surrounding Cowford Swamp to rise into the residential areas near Bucksport Road.
The Department of Health and Environmental Control is currently monitoring an at-risk dam on the Pee Dee river system north of Bucksport.
The Oakdale Dam in Florence County is considered an at-risk dam classified as a “significant-hazard” dam, which according to DHEC, means that a failure “will not likely cause a loss of life, but may damage infrastructure.”
They said if the dam busts in Florence, and it hadn’t bust yet. But they’ll have a problem.
Willie Green
At the James Frazier Community Center, Horry County Fire Rescue, Horry County police, and the South Carolina National Guard had stationed dozens of vehicles and several boats in the parking lot.
The guard was using large trucks to ferry people and their belongings out of the neighborhood, although some people decided to remain.
Troops helped Glynn Hemingway into a large truck after convincing him to evacuate.
Hemingway said that police had warned him of a dam break in Florence and convinced him to evacuate.
It’s really bad. I heard it’s supposed to rise more.
Shadai Huggins
After the truck that Hemingway was riding in dropped him off on higher ground, he met up with his friend Willie Green.
“They said if the dam busts in Florence, and it hadn’t bust yet,” said Green. “But they’ll have a problem.”
Officials on the ground would not comment on the dam, and a DHEC spokeswoman said “The Oakdale Dam will not impact flooding on either the Waccamaw or the Great Pee Dee River.”
Shadai Huggins and her boyfriend were also evacuating her grandmother’s house as the water continued to rise.
“It’s really bad,” she said. “I heard it’s supposed to rise more. Did you see our backyard? It looks real bad. I don’t want it to get so bad that my grandma can’t see her house or something.”
Her boyfriend Lorenzo Lewis was also evacuating for the second time.
He left his house in Conway after Hurricane Matthew because of a lack of power and water.
He said he was worried about the house as the front of the yard began to fill with water coming from behind the house.
“You see the backyard, don’t you?” he said.
Christian Boschult, 843-626-0218, @TSN_Christian
This story was originally published October 13, 2016 at 8:56 PM with the headline "DHEC says “at-risk” dam will not impact flooding."