Awendaw residents seek help from leaders to mitigate flooding issues

AWENDAW S.C. (WCBD)– Aftereffects of Tropical Storm Debby are still being felt in one Lowcountry neighborhood and its residents are pushing for new measures to prevent similar issues in the future.

It’s been almost two weeks since Debby hit the Lowcountry, but many residents who live along Sewee Road in Awendaw are still dealing with overflowing ditches and flooding alongside other major issues.

“Right now, I’m very angry because, I mean, I’m a taxpayer, and you know I want to take care of my property… but you know what this problem is? I can’t deal with this daily, and something needs to be done about this,” said Stephen Flagg, an Awendaw resident.

Residents told News 2 that they saw crews with the South Carolina Department of Transportation cleaning and working on the ditches, but it wasn’t enough to mitigate the amount of water left behind by Debby. With more rain on the way residents say they worry things will only get worse.

“I’m a bit worried because we will have the same issue as I did with Tropical Storm Debby, as the water will just come up to my front yard here, and it has been in the backyard as well. It had me trapped for a few days. I couldn’t even come out, so I feel like I’m going to have to go through the same issue that I did with Tropical Storm Debby.” 

Flagg is asking for more help from state and local leaders to mitigate the problem. News 2 reached out to the town mayor, Miriam C.  Green, for comment, but she was unavailable.

“Whoever they need to talk to alleviate the problem, you know because we all live in this community and we all are paying taxes, and it’s not right that you know we’re paying taxes for the time and they’re not doing anything for us,” Flagg said.

News 2 did reach out to SCDOT for comment, and they released a statement saying

“SCDOT encourages anyone with an issue on a state-maintained road to reach out to us directly at 855-467-2368, or you can submit a maintenance work order online at www.scdot.org”