Cleanup begins as water begins to recede along Edisto and Ashley rivers

DORCHESTER COUNTY, S.C. (WCBD) – The waterline is slowly making its way down along rivers in Dorchester and Colleton counties, and as the water recedes the cleanup process begins.

Mike Rivers and his wife Christine live down Twin Lakes Road near the Ashley River. He said they had more water during the so-called “thousand-year flood” in October 2015, but still took a hit in the flooding after Tropical Storm Debby.

“The water was up at the top of the hill, here, it only got as far as right below the other neighbor’s driveway. The only difference in this–this stuck around longer than 2015,” said Rivers.

They had to move their animals inside to keep them safe. “We have horses and we had to evacuate them,” he said.

One of their chickens almost died yesterday amid the high water. “One that almost drowned,” he said. “She must have fallen off her perch and couldn’t get herself out of the water. Christine came over and rescued her, and we brought her in the house.”

Yards are still full of water down Highway 61 over in Colleton County. This time it’s from the overflowing Edisto River.

David Hance spent the day helping his stepdaughter and her husband clean up a mess from the flooding.

“In the past, we never had it breach inside. The wolf was knocking at the door numerous floods, but this one we took it up to just underneath the electrical outlets. That’s a blessing in itself,” he said. “You could barely see the pump house, and of course over here you can see how high it was on the road. It’s already gone down a significant amount from going over the road.”

Dorchester County officials say people should begin the cleanup process once they can safely do so. They handed out buckets filled with cleaning supplies on Tuesday afternoon to help people protect against potential mold growing on their homes or belongings.

County leaders recommend removing anything that’s wet and letting your home air out.