FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) — Homeowners in a South Florence neighborhood say they are desperate as they continue to deal with severe flooding in their front and back yards.

Despite repeated calls for help, the problem has only gotten worse over the years, especially after Tropical Storm Debby passed through Pee Dee.

Homeowners Shannon Warner and Devon Shorts said when they bought their home on S. Brandy Circle, it was designated as a flood zone. However, after some recent storms in the area, their home is completely underwater — up to 19 inches in some places.

“This is a designated flood zone. I mean, there is no risk of flooding here,” Warner said.

The family said a nearby pond and a clogged sewage system were the cause of the problem.

“When it comes through here, it forms a dam right in the middle. When it flows through these pipes, it’s supposed to go to the next body of water. When that water overflows, it’s supposed to go under Howe Springs and go toward Jefferies Creek,” Shorts said.

The pond’s owner, Richard Coleman, said the problem is due to the state’s clogged drains. Coleman also said in the 50 years he has lived in the area, the two houses have become more prone to flooding because the road slopes and water sits where it is, and there is no sewer system in the area.

The family said they have spent years asking the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the Florence County Public Works Department, the Department of Agriculture, local authorities and the owner of the pond property for help – but no one has taken responsibility.

Warner said the emergency management agency advised them to turn off the power because power lines were underwater, but one of her daughters is asthmatic and needs a ventilator.

Florence County Councilman Waymon Mumford said the issue is beyond the control of local government and must be addressed at the state level. He said the house should never have been built in that location.

Warner said they have spent tens of thousands of dollars on various solutions, including building platforms for pets and dumping truckloads of soil before heavy rainstorms, but nothing has been able to stop the water from running over their house.

One of the couple’s daughters cannot live in the house because the family lost two rooms in the basement due to water leaking through the house. They even had to rip out the floors because mold was growing due to the constant moisture in the area.

“My kids’ dressers were ruined. Their nightstands, the full-length mirrors, they’re ruined,” Shorts said. “I have a dog that got a bacterial infection and had to have her uterus removed. (We) have suffered a lot of loss.”

But water is not the only thing the family has to contend with.

“We have everything from otters to beavers. There are lobsters, there are eels, and everything comes onto our property,” Shorts said. “Right now, when the water goes up, all you see in your backyard is oil and gas floating around in the water.”

The family said the Ministry of Agriculture only cleaned one of the four drains around the pond and their property, but that did not help drain the more than 30 centimetres of water around their house.

“I mean, you have to think about all the bacteria that comes out of the pond in my backyard. Even when the water is gone, the bacteria is still there. I have kids that play in it. I mean, we had to get the dogs out,” Warner said. “We have to carry the dogs and take them there so they can go to the bathroom on the street because there’s nowhere to go. I mean, you shouldn’t have to live like that.”

As the water levels continue to rise, Warner hopes justice will be served for her and her family.

“It’s unacceptable and inexcusable to have to live like this. I mean, where can we go? We can’t go out. There’s nothing we can do,” she said.

News13 has reached out to SCDOT, USDA and Florence County Public Works. We are awaiting a response.

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Savannah Denton joined News 13 as a reporter and producer in July 2023. Savannah is from Atlanta, Georgia and is a graduate of the University of Alabama. Follow Savannah on X, formerly Twitter, and read more about her work here.

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Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is a native of Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more about her work here.

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