River and Operating Conditions dropping down, recovery continuing

The Waccamaw River is slowly, yet steadily dropping and so are emergency alert levels with the state, Horry and Georgetown counties.

The river rested at 14.3 feet Saturday morning, down from its third-highest crest level of 16.1 feet, which it reached Oct. 8, weather authorities said.

“It’s a slow process with that river,” Robert DiGiorgi, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C. said.

The river has sat at major flood level for nearly two weeks, but is expected to dip down to moderate levels soon. Major flood level for the river is measured at 14 feet and above, while moderate flood stage begins at 12 feet, according to river assessment graphs from the weather service.

“About noon on Sunday the river should be right there on the threshold of major-moderate then fall below major by sunrise Monday,” DiGiorgi said.

The river may reach minor flood stage, which is measured at 11 feet, by the weekend of Oct. 23, forecasters said.

A bout of heavy rainfall swept across Horry and Georgetown counties Oct. 10, prolonging the river’s already-slow decline, but weather authorities said no rain is expected next week, so the dry days will help.

A cold snap, brought on by Canadian high pressure, will chill the area Sunday and into early next week as overnight lows drop into the mid to upper 30s. While some areas may see some patchy frost, the cooler temperatures won’t affect the river.

As the river is receding, emergency preparedness officials for the state, Horry and Georgetown counties are also winding down alert levels as flooding further stabilizes and recovery efforts take more priority.

Horry County officials shifted from Operating Condition 2 to Operating Condition 3 on Friday afternoon, according to Lisa Bourcier, Horry County spokeswoman.

“OPCON 3 means that the flooding continues to pose a threat to Horry County; however, the Waccamaw River continues to recede and the situation is further stabilized,” she said in a press release.

While the county is downgrading their alert status, the Horry County Emergency Operations Center will still be activated 24 hours a day, and Horry County police will continue to man 14 checkpoints set up along the Waccamaw, officials said.

Additionally, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Horry County police will continue boat patrols on the Waccamaw River and Intracoastal Waterway.

Georgetown County officials shifted their Operating Condition to 4 Friday morning, according to Sam Hodge, Georgetown County’s Emergency manager.

“We’re going from the response phase more into recovery now,” Hodge said.

OPCON 4 is the second lowest level of the five operational conditions, which takes the county one step closer to normal day-to-day operations, Hodge said.

Shelters closed Thursday in Georgetown county, but authorities continued to go door-to-door in some areas checking on residents.

“FEMA is on the ground here in Georgetown. We’re opening up our disaster recovery centers, and we have a ton of support coming in from all around the country from water to food to clothing. You name it, it’s coming in,” Hodge said.

Cleanup efforts are ongoing there, and Hodge said nonprofit groups had been helping a lot.

“We’re trying to get back to normal here. It will never be like it was before, but we’re getting to a new normal,” Hodge said.

The South Carolina Emergency Response Team also downgraded their Operating Condition level to 4 Friday afternoon, according to a press release.

And FEMA is operating 17 Disaster Recovery Centers in the affected area in the state, and nearly 50,000 survivors registered with more than $27 million in disaster assistance funds approved to date, officials said.

This story was originally published October 17, 2015 at 2:24 PM with the headline "River and Operating Conditions dropping down, recovery continuing."