South Carolina: Flood & Recovery

Ongoing coverage of South Carolina's recovery from the flooding of 2015.What had been Lindsay Langdale's Columbia home October 3, 2015 was a flooded ruin the next day.This coverage is made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In October of 2015, South Carolina received rainfall in unprecedented amounts over just a few days time. By the time the rain began to slacken, the National Weather Service reported that the event had dumped more than two feet of water on the state. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the subsequent flooding was the worst in 75 years.

Mullins Residents Face Flooding Two Years in a Row

South Carolina Public Radio | By Laura Hunsberger

Published March 1, 2017 at 12:56 PM EST

Mullins resident Barbara Sellers stands in an apartment being renovated again after Hurricane Matthew flooded the area in October 2016.

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Barbara Sellers stands in one of the apartments at the Genesis II apartment complex in Mullins. She had just moved into a newly renovated apartment last March, but she and the other residents faced disastrous flooding again when Hurricane Matthew hit.

Josh Floyd/SC Public Radio

Sign on door instructing residents to remove all flood-damage items from the apartments prior to renovations.

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The residents lost much of the furniture that was provided for them via donations after severe flooding in November 2015. With new damage from Hurricane Matthew, the resident qualify for FEMA aid this time, but resources are still slim.

Josh Floyd/SC Public Radio

About a year ago, I met Barbara Sellers, a resident of the Genesis II apartment complex in Mullins, SC. Genesis II is a community for low-income seniors, subsidized the Department of Housing and Urban Development. In November of 2015, while the area was still saturated from October’s floods, a severe storm inundated Barbara’s home. Barbara and her neighbors were evacuated by boat, and their apartments had to be completely renovated. The Palmetto Project Community Flood Hub helped residents replace furniture they lost, and last March, Barbara was getting ready to move back home.

Then in October 2016, Hurricane Matthew hit, devastating areas across the state, including Marion County. This time, the residents qualify for FEMA aid to help recover from the hurricane. However, Suzanne Dennis (the Community Manager for Genesis II) says resources for her residents are slim compared with last year. South Carolina Public Radio's Laura Hunsberger has the story.

Check out more coverage of Genesis II in Mullins and the original recovery from flooding in 2015.