Personal Injury Attorney in Bamberg, SC

BAMBERG COUNTY, S.C. (WIS) - Residents in Bamberg County are experiencing heavy flooding after the Edisto River crested.

Many are experiencing flooding in their homes and streets.

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This is after heavy rains passed through the county and parts of the Midlands last week.

Orangeburg County also experienced significant flooding. The flooding, caused schools to alter their schedules and roads to close.

According to the county, a “Code Red” was issued on Friday, Nov. 8 for residents living along the river.

Residents were asked to evacuate immediately.

“We went over there because it’s two stories. We were there for probably about 4 hours and the water just kept coming up. And we knew we had to get out of there,” said an evacuee Michele Gleaton-Hiers.

Diane Johnson and Johna Patrick also evacuated the area but returned on Tuesday to assess the damage.

“And we didn’t have time to do anything. We had some clothes in a suitcase. We didn’t have time to pick anything up. This is much worse than 15,” said Johnson.

WCSC, WIS' sister station in the Lowcountry, reported Colleton Fire said the river has been in a major flooding state for most of Monday, making evacuations the solution.

“This is actually higher than what tropical storm Debbie brought us,” said Alisha Moore who is a spokesperson for the county.

WIS' Deric Rush took a first-hand look at that flooding Tuesday afternoon.

“I’m just so glad I’m still here because I thought that was the end of it too,” said Bamberg County resident Robbie Lawrence.

Rush visited Hope Road in Branchville via a boat owned by Lawrence who also experienced heavy flooding in his home.

Lawrence said the flooding began happening around Friday night.

“Friday night, everything was normal. I woke about 8’oclock [the next day], everything was flooded,” Lawrence said. “It went from a perfectly good backyard to river. My backyard was 4-foot-deep.”

Lawrence, who is a delivery driver, said he has had to access most of his neighbor’s houses by boat.

“It ain’t no need to be in bad spirits. It’s not gone help anything. We kind of take it as it comes. It ain’t nothing we can do about it,” Lawrence said.

Several residents said they lost family pictures and other irreplaceable keepsakes during the flood.

The following roads are still closed due to the flooding, according to officials.

Half MoonSweet Pea from 78 to ApacheCombine RoadSquirrel WhaleyHopeCountry ClubCapernaumMt. Caramel

However, the roads may reopen at any time as crews assess the damage.

Residents are advised to call 803-245-3013 to report damages or click here.

As of now, no deaths or injuries have been reported in the county.

Bamberg County said FEMA is expected to assist flood victims. However, they said they have not received an exact timeline, as FEMA is still assisting victims of Hurricane Helene.

Officials said a damage report form will be made available on the Bamberg County Government Facebook page soon.

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BAMBERG, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - More than 120 roads in Orangeburg County remain closed or blocked due to damage from last week’s flooding, and schools were closed Monday across the county.

Authorities said around 126 roads across the county are closed due to water with concentration in the Neeses area.

MORE | See the map of road closures in Orangeburg County

Orangeburg County and other areas in eastern South Carolina are still reeling from major flooding caused by last week’s heavy rains. Many areas saw 10-15 inches of rain.

Some people who live along the Edisto River are evacuating in Colleton County, and Bamberg and Orangeburg counties are under a flood alert along the river.

Although Bamberg County students returned to class Monday, Orangeburg County School District officials decided to keep schools closed for a third day.

“This decision is crucial and stems from the fact that over 140 roads in our county are closed, making safe transportation to and from school impossible,” the district said in a post on Facebook.

“We are actively collaborating with local and state Emergency Management Officials who are diligently assessing the conditions and working to establish safe routes for our school buses and families.”

The closings come after schools in the county experienced power outages due to heavy rainfall and flooding.

Robert E. Howard Middle School had flooding under the doors and a power outage.

Bethune-Bowman Elementary School also experienced a power outage. However, all the power was restored.

According to Superintendent Shawn Foster, at least two schools had flooding in their media centers.

Denmark residents close to getting clean drinking water, officials say

One year after Bamberg County secured a nearly $600,000 federal grant to rehabilitate the airport water tank, residents are one step closure to clean drinking water.

The flooding has impacted major water mains, making it difficult for many residents in Orangeburg County to find fresh drinking water.

The Neeses Fire Department and South Carolina State Guard are helping provide that resource to people in the area, giving out bottled water to those who need it.

“We have a point of distribution site set up at the Neeses Fire Department, where the public can come and get bottled water at no charge,” Staley said, “If you live in that community, it could help alleviate with some of that.”

More than 100 roads remain closed across Orangeburg County.

In Colleton County, firefighters are evacuating people near the Whetstone Crossroads community. Residents are telling them the water level is higher now than it was after Tropical Storm Debby.

Deputies say residents need to “please heed the warnings and prepare to leave before it is too late.”

Authorities said the river could keep rising for days.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster have both declared states of emergency for counties affected by the catastrophic flooding and road damage.

In Georgia, the state of emergency will last through Wednesday for areas including Emanuel, Jefferson and Screven counties.

McMaster’s executive order activates the South Carolina Emergency Operations Plan and supplements response efforts to the flooding in the Midlands and Lowcountry regions.

“The state of emergency will ensure that our response teams have every tool at their disposal to continue their efforts,” McMaster said.

FEMA offers door-to-door assistance as aid deadline extends for victims

It was boots on the ground for FEMA on Friday, as employees went door-to-door to assess damage from Helene.

After a bone-dry October, many are now having to navigate the damage from flash flooding.

The flooding led to cancellations and delays for school districts, including in Aiken County and Orangeburg County.

In Orangeburg County, some pavement was heavily damaged in washouts, leading to dozens of road closures.

In Aiken County, the intersection of University Parkway and Vaucluse Road was shut down.

In Emanuel County, high water closed the bridge on Highway 80 at the 15 Mile Creek just outside of Twin City heading to Portal. The Emanuel County Board of Commissioners announced several other road closures on its Facebook page.

Many areas got 7-10 inches of rain, with totals of up to 15 inches in certain localized areas, and flooding of the Edisto River is expected to continue into next week.

Schools were closed Thursday and Friday in Orangeburg County, while Bamberg County schools had eLearning days on Thursday and Friday, and the school day was delayed Thursday in Aiken County.

Escaped S.C. monkeys ‘are having an adventure,’ lab chief says

Residents of one S.C. county are being told to keep all doors and windows secured to prevent the escaped monkeys from entering.

It’s a similar story in Bamberg County, which has been hit time and time again this year with severe weather.

At first glance, some areas look like lakes, but they’re actually roads.

In Bamberg County, resident Paul Eubanks says, “We live in a swamp. Most of Bamberg County is in a swampy area.”

It’s a place that’s used to seeing a lot of rain.

“Not rainfall like that, not like that. Those two nights, it just rained and rained and rained and rained,” said Eubanks.

The rain is swallowing the roads with water.

“Right here, the water got up to right behind these benches, almost to this one tree,” he said. “A couple of outbuildings were washed away, and we had water up underneath a few houses that can cause problems.”

PHOTO GALLERY: ORANGEBURG COUNTY FLOODING

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If you ask Eubanks, he says his family is lucky to be where they are.

“Here, we’re in pretty good shape. We’re on fairly high ground. The other places, like down there, down closer to the Hunters Chapel Community and the Edisto River Road community, we have houses down there that are in the water now,” said Eubanks.

Some areas are constantly recovering.

“We have roads that we just fixed from the last rain event, and culverts are blown out. We’ve got some small bridges washed out,” said Eubanks.

Alisha Moore, Bamberg County public information officer, said: “Don’t think we ever fully recovered from Debbie, because right after Debbie, Helene came. Because we’re accustomed to it, and we have been dealing with it season after season. You know, folks kind of already know what to do.”

Emergency officials already know which roads to look out for anytime it rains.

“Roads like Half Moon and Sweet Pea are constantly flooding. Those roads are always underwater. We are in the process of trying to find the funding that we need to help with the drainage issue. But you know, one thing at a time, and hopefully we’ll get there, and I know we will,” said Moore.

Until then, Eubanks says, “You have to put things in a priority, and it’s frustrating because you see so many things that need to get done. You can’t not, we just can’t do them all at once.”

Residents are urged to avoid driving in areas that might be heavily impacted and to not drive through flooded roadways.

Edisto Assistant Fire Chief Jordan Demsey assisted in a water rescue at around 8 a.m. on Friday, after a car drove off this broken bridge and into Roberts Swamp.

Demsey said both passengers suffered minor injuries but were able to get themselves out of the vehicle before he arrived. He believes water levels in the Edisto River are still rising and says a lot of the closures are due to roads and bridges being washed out.

He urges people to stay away from areas still closed like Binnicker Bridge Road, saying people are putting their lives at risk by ignoring barricades.

“If you fall into that water, or you get trapped under some asphalt that’s also under that water, then you’re not going to be able to find your way back up,” Dempsey said, “You can get disoriented and not know which way is up, so, that’s why we say it’s best to stay away from any road closures.”

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