The flood of Hurricane Florence in Georgetown, South Carolina, is imminent. And they do not know how much it's going to be

The Great Pee Dee and the largest Waccamaw River have already inflated to record levels upstream – as shown by the floods 40 miles to the north in and around Conway, where Waccamaw continues to rise –

There is no point of reference for comparison, not even the destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew last year, Hemingway said.

Even worse, the tide can make water levels worse. Normally, from low tide to high tide, Georgetown sees a difference of about 3 feet in the water level where the Great Pee Dee River meets Winyah Bay.

The full moon on Monday night means that high tides will be even higher. If the rivers reach their highest point at high tide, the floods will spread even further into the city.

How to prepare the city

The rains that Florence has dumped on North Carolina have been crawling for more than two weeks. It is now expected to flood the homes and businesses owned by Georgetown County with over 61,000 people, of which nearly 8,000 are encouraged to evacuate.

An important part of the city should be under water.

The critical infrastructure is already in preparation and hardened. Along Highway 17, connecting Georgetown to the coast of South Carolina and its beaches, flood barriers are being built.

Authorities fear that the floods will leave the portion of the road that connects the bridges that span the Great Pee Dee and Waccamaw rivers.

As a precaution, the South Carolina National Guard builds a floating ribbon bridge, capable of carrying heavy equipment, on the other side of the Waccamaw River.

The 19 schools of Georgetown County were closed Monday until further notice. Many are threatened by major floods, county officials said. Two of them, Georgetown High School and Waccamaw Middle School, have opened their doors as pet shelters.

The Georgetown County Water and Sewer District is also preparing to prepare. The Waccamaw River, which supplies the county with drinking water, will soon contain dangerous pollutants from floodwaters.

Ray Gagnon, executive director of the Water District, told reporters that the district was working to protect all its facilities in the "flood zone" and to prepare other water sources – aquifers, recovery wells, underground wells and county interconnection. with the Grand Strand Water and Sewer Authority nearby.

Sandbags are also being distributed – up to 10 per household – but the county has warned on its Facebook page: "Keep in mind that sandbags do not prevent the sandbagging. ;water".

A game of waiting

Thomas Cafe is on Front Street, Georgetown's main street. He seems almost exactly like he did when he opened in 1929.

The menu and stands are original, as are most decorations – even the refrigerator.

In its 89 years of history, it has never been flooded before. Matthew's floodwaters only reached his back door.

"We expect to have water at this time," said Olivia Goins, who has been waiting for tables for five years.

On Tuesday, the coffee will not serve its famous shrimp and grits at $ 10.95. It will be closed for one of the few times in its history, so that employees can remove the refrigerators and freezers before the flood.

Like many locals and business owners in the city, they try to prepare as they can, but in the end, they can not do much.

"Water is water," says bluntly.

There is nothing that anyone can really do; the flood waters are coming in and, according to all forecasts, will be catastrophic. Goins and the city of Georgetown are stuck playing waiting.