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The city of Conway, on the shores of the rapidly rising Waccamaw River, plans to ask a judge to stop state plans to install temporary gates to keep the waters of tropical storm Florence off the United States. United.
Conway City Council is concerned that the five-foot-high gates along the main artery in Myrtle Beach may aggravate the floods in the county seat of Horry.
"We can not minimize the importance of keeping the road open to bring people back to the beach, but if that is done at the expense of the people of Conway, I do not think this is an unacceptable solution," he said. Adam Emrick. board at a special meeting on Sunday.
State and Horry County officials say gates are needed to keep a main road open for supplies and emergency crews.
Emrick told council that the Waccamaw could reach 22 feet, four feet above the record set two years ago after Hurricane Matthew. If this happens, nearly 1,000 houses in the city would be flooded.
Current forecasts from the National Meteorological Service, however, predict that Waccamaw will reach close to 16 feet on Friday.
Emrick said he could not get a response from state leaders during a conference call this Sunday to find out if the barriers placed on the outskirts of the United States 501 could push more water into the city and flood new homes. Conway was not involved in the initial decision to install the barriers, he added.
The council voted unanimously to file the injunction.
Governor Henry McMaster told a news briefing on Sunday that the barriers were crucial to keeping the US 501 open for the evacuees so they could return to the Grand Strand as it is one of the most rare routes back to the beach. Evacuees from Horry County were allowed to return from 9 am Sunday after passing the state of Florence.
S.C. Secretary of Transportation Christy Hall said at the conference that the state was installing barriers based on flood computer models to keep the US bridge 501 dry. She said the water could continue to flow into the Waccamaw once the barriers are installed.
"It's planning, preparing and putting things in place to make sure we do not cut Horry County from the rest of the state," Hall said.
While noting that he has predictions that Waccamaw will exceed peaks, Horry County Council Chairman Mark Lazarus said at a press briefing in Conway that he did not think the barriers would damage more houses.
"We know it's a moment of fear," he said.
Lazarus echoed Hall saying that the barriers are needed to ensure that Horry County is not cut for weeks.
"We have a responsibility to all our citizens to make informed decisions that benefit everyone," he said.
Similar barriers are being set up on the 378 United States at the Lynches River in Florence County.
More than 440,000 people were evacuated from parts of five counties, as far south as Charleston, under threat from Florence, who landed in Wrightsville Beach, NB on Friday as a hurricane. Category 1.
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