FLORENCE, SC (WBTW) – More than a week ago the flood waters forced dozens of residents to evacuate their homes along Black Creek Road.
But Wednesday, residents who live on Black Creek Road came back to their homes only to find out that what they left behind is now gone.
Inside homes are empty, walls and floors have been removed, furniture sits out in front yards and the once crystal clear water in pools has turned brown.
Mary Batchelor and her husband Hobo’s home sit feet away from Black Creek.
“We don’t have a place to stay right now. I think FEMA is going to give us some rent money to go and rent something,” Batchelor said.
It was a strange birthday for Hobo as their furniture and other belongings had to be removed from the inside of their home.
“Yea, some happy birthday, he was going to have a birthday Sunday but too much water,” mentioned Batchelor.
In fact, their neighbor Charles Ray is dealing with the same problem, except his friends are helping to repair more than $80,000 worth of damage.
“It smells rough. The humidifier is actually trying to get a good bit of the moisture out. We dump it more than three or four times a day,” explained Bradley Byrd with Byrd’s Roofing and Remodeling.
Although this isn’t the first time residents have experienced this type of devastation they’re thankful that material things can always be replaced.
“We will survive. We did it before, as long as we got each other. We’re tough. We’ll make it. We’ll be alright,” said Batchelor.
“We have our animals. We didn’t lose any of those. Matter of fact we found four kittens that we didn’t even know we had until after the flood,” said Ray as he chuckles.
The Batchelor and Ray family tells News 13 that their flood insurance will help to replace some of their belongings. The families will also be working closely with FEMA.
