Horry County moves Operating Conditions to normal as Waccamaw keeps receding

Horry County officials switched operating conditions back to normal as the transition from flooding response to recovery continues, and the Waccamaw River keeps slowly receding.

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, Horry County officials moved their Operating Condition level from 4 to 5.

“OPCON 5 means that Horry County is operating under normal conditions; however the Horry County Emergency Operations Center remains activated 24 hours a day with limited emergency support functions,” Lisa Bourcier, Horry County spokeswoman, said in a news release.

While the county is shifting back to normal day-to-day procedures, Horry County police will continue to staff security at checkpoints along the Waccamaw River, but will begin demobilizing those operations as the river recedes and property owners are able to get back home, Bourcier said.

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Horry County police will also continue boat patrols along the Waccamaw until further notice.

Federal Emergency Management Agency workers are running Disaster Recovery Centers to assist flood victims at the North Strand Recreation Center at 120 Highway 57 South in Little River and the South Strand Recreation Center at 9650 Scipio Lane in Myrtle Beach.

Auto insurance and small business associations are the primary resources for help with vehicle flood damage, but FEMA may also be able to help some flood survivors with the cost of vehicle repairs or replacements; an estimate may be required stating that the damage to the vehicle was a direct result of a Presidentially-declared disaster.

More than 2,500 individuals have registered for FEMA assistance in Horry County and have received more than $1.5 million in individual and household aid to-date. More than $340,000 has also been given for rental assistance, Bourcier said.

As recovery efforts continue, the river is helping cleanup along by gradually dropping. The Waccamaw rested at 12.74 feet at 8 a.m. Wednesday, which means it’s now in moderate flood stage and down from major flood level where it stayed for about two weeks, forecasters said.

Major flood level for the river is measured at 14 feet and above, while moderate flood stage begins at 12 feet, and minor stage begins at 11 feet, according to river assessment graphs from the weather service.

While the area is improving, a flood warning was still issued by meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C., on Wednesday for the Waccamaw River at Conway in effect from 10:30 a.m. Wednesday to 8 a.m. Monday because water remains high in the area.

“People with interests along the river should take the necessary precautions to protect life and property from the floodwaters,” weather authorities said in the warning.

These warnings have been ongoing since flooding began.

But more dry days are ahead in the forecast, so the river is expected to continue to recede, according to Mark Bacon, forecaster with the weather service.

“The river should get into minor [flood stage] in the predawn hours of Monday. It’s still a gradual process,” Bacon said.

The river began its decline after reaching its third-highest crest at about 16.1 feet Oct. 8, just 1.5 feet below Hurricane Floyd levels in1999, weather authorities said.

Georgetown County saw river cresting a little later than Horry County did, and officials and residents are in recovery mode, but still trying to catch up, according to Jackie Broach, Georgetown County spokeswoman.

“We were the last place the water came to, so we are a little behind,” Broach said.

Georgetown County switched to Operating Conditions level 4 on Friday morning, and the county remained at that level on Wednesday morning, despite Horry County’s move to level 5.

Some water is still high in Georgetown County, but all major thoroughfares and bridges are open, Broach said.

A mobile FEMA disaster recovery center at 1295 N. Fraser St., in the parking lot of Tractor Supply Co., is still available, and officials aim to have a permanent center in place soon.

The county is also working to clean up debris, and curbside debris pickup will begin this week.

Georgetown County officials contracted the S.C. Department of Transportation to remove flood-related debris, and flood debris curbside pickup will be available on public roadways in unincorporated areas of the county that were impacted by flooding, Broach said.

“SCDOT’s contractors will prioritize debris removal based on which areas can be accessed safely for debris removal operations. In some areas, floodwaters have not receded enough for contractors to reach debris,” Broach said in a release.

Georgetown County residents in flood-impacted areas can put any flood-related debris they would like removed in the public right-of-way, which is the area that extends from the street to the sidewalk, ditch, utility pole or easement.

Residents should not place debris on the right-of-way if they have or will receive insurance funding to privately dispose of household debris covered by an insurance policy.

Debris must be separated into the following categories to be picked up: electronics, large appliances, household hazardous waste, vegetative debris, construction debris and household garbage.

Debris must also be unbagged except for household garbage, officials said.

“We’re still in the early phases of cleanup here. Everyone is looking at rebuilding,” Broach said.

This story was originally published October 21, 2015 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Horry County moves Operating Conditions to normal as Waccamaw keeps receding."