Florence County Residents Grapple with Recurring Flooding Issues
With the arrival of the hurricane season, numerous communities in the Pee Dee area of Florence county are experiencing the adverse effects of heavy rainfall. Among the worst hit is the residential neighborhood on Minus Lane in Effingham – one of seven communities in Florence County that saw severe water logging on county-maintained roads.
An Issue that Refuses to Abate
A resident of Minus Lane, Niki Williams, stated that the flooding issue was not new, but rather something that has been recurring over several years. It has come to the point that during the peak of the rainy season, it interferes with her ability, as well as her family’s, to commute to work.
“I was stuck; my twenty-year-old daughter was unable to get to work at the nursing home where she is employed because her car is lower lined. I fail to comprehend how we cannot receive assistance with maintaining the area and fixing this road to prevent this from being a recurring issue,” said Williams.
County Administrator Responds
The official response to the issue from Kevin Yokim, the Florence County Administrator, was that the county’s crews had been dispatched to more than six areas with reported wash-outs. Yokim claimed that all such issues have been remedied following their efforts since Monday.
The Taxpayers’ Dilemma
Detolian William, Williams’ father-in-law, who owns property along Minus Lane, expressed his frustration as a taxpayer who has to bear the brunt of these flooding issues. He argued that his family, as tax paying citizens, should not have to continually deal with water logging issues.
“My niece plans to set up a house about a couple hundred feet down, where the road is in terrible condition. It seems like the problem is exclusive to our family here,” said Williams.
Florence County’s Response Remains Vague
When probed about what specific actions the crews took to alleviate the issue, Yokim did not provide specific details. However, he maintained his belief that all previously reported residences impacted by the flooding were addressed and repairs were conducted after Monday. The frustration of Minus Lane residents continues to mount as they seek transparent and long-term remedies to their perennial flooding issue.
