What this Socastee neighborhood looks like as they wait on the water

A sign in front of Anthony Brungard’s Socastee home reads, “Bless this mess.”

It was hanging on the wall of his family’s home, and on Wednesday it sat in the front yard ahead of possible flooding in the Rosewood Estates neighborhood.

Sandbags were piled in the front yard, too. And inside — furniture moved out, vanities gutted and the attic full.

“It’s been a roller coaster the past few days,” Brungard said Wednesday.

Brungard and his wife have three children, and their youngest was born just before Hurricane Matthew hit two years ago. Water filled the family’s home about 7 inches high and stayed inside for about five days before receding. They stayed in a camper, parked just outside their home.

The neighborhood, unlike some other parts of the county, is still bracing for flooding. Neighborhoods along Waccamaw Drive and Lee’s Landing are already filled with water, forcing families out of their homes.

But in Rosewood Estates, U-Haul trucks lined the streets Wednesday, and neighbors stopped by to offer help to fellow neighbors.

The Salvation Army was stationed in the neighborhood Wednesday, giving out water bottles and snacks and serving dinner.

Forecasters say the Intracoastal Waterway near Socastee is projected to crest between 21 and 23 feet on about Sept. 28.

Buck Smith’s Rosewood Drive home wasn’t threatened by water until Matthew’s record-breaking flooding. This time, he’s gutting most of his house, taking out doors, appliances and furniture and loading it into a trailer attached to his truck.

“We’ll probably have to redo the house, and we won’t have to buy everything all over again,” Smith said. “Because last time it came in so fast, we didn’t have time to do anything.”

Further down the street, Steven Foster was loading up his U-Haul, taking furniture out of his home that is already raised 4 feet off the ground.

During Matthew, flood waters rose about 2 feet up on his home. This time, the water is predicted to exceed that by about 3 feet.

“I seen everybody come here, and I seen everybody helping each other out, so I said, ‘You know what? I’m going to go ahead and get my U-Haul and do the exact same thing,’” Foster said.

Despite the threat of flooding, several people in the community plan on staying in their homes for the long haul.

For Smith, flooding is just something his family has to deal with.

“S*** happens,” he said.

Hannah Strong: 843-444-1765, @HannahLStrong; Megan Tomasic: 843-626-0343; @MeganTomasic

This story was originally published September 19, 2018 at 5:19 PM.