Flooding hits Loris from Tropical Storm Debby rainfall, causes damage. Here’s what we saw
Jason Medley watched as the rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby pooled on Milligan Street near his home in Loris before noon Aug. 8, 2024.
He’s lived in the area for about three years and was nonchalant, while examining the flooding. The water previously made it up to his driveway, but now he walked outside on his front yard without shoes as a chorus of frogs croaked in the waters and wetlands around him. Parts of Milligan Street were underwater, with road closed signs blocking drivers from entering the area.
“It’s a pretty common occurrence this time of year,” he said.
Indeed, the Loris area experienced a large amount of rain. The National Weather Service reported that about 16 inches of rain fell on Loris between Aug. 5, 2024, and Aug. 8, 2024, although the results are unofficial. The NWS further forecasts an additional between two and three inches of precipitation from Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, to Sunday, Aug. 11, 2024.
Medley added that several of his neighbors face flooding during storms, and a ditch of about four to five feet was added beside the road to help deal with the rainwater. Yet, the water still flows over the road.
While Medley’s home wasn’t flooded, others along the intersecting Forest Drive weren’t so lucky. Residents had boarded up their carports or doors, yet the water pooled in the driveways and backyards of several residents’ homes. One resident had a storage container raised above the ground, seemingly in case of such an event.
The area is uneven, with water flowing downhill toward Forest Drive and out to Red Bluff Road. Resident April Meeks had her entire backyard flooded, the water almost reaching the bottom of her trampoline. Yet, despite the waters, her two sons, Matthew Meeks-Cook and Raymond Meeks-Cook, played in her front yard wearing swim trunks.
The Forest Drive/Milligan Street area is prone to flooding, and Sonia Jones documented much of the water. Jones, whose lived in the area 20 years and Loris since 1976, took videos of the damage and posted them to the “What’s Happening in Loris” Facebook page. She says the area frequently floods after storms, however, Tropical Storm Debby was rather tame.
“I wasn’t really worried about this,” she said.
While the grounds around Loris High School and Loris First Assembly Church pooled with rain water, some seemed to go about their usual day despite the rainfall. Neighbors walked around greeting each other while one mom pushed her daughter around in a stroller.
Jones added that while Tropical Storm Debby didn’t pose a major flood risk to the area, a more severe storm would.
This story was originally published August 8, 2024 at 1:35 PM.