SC News

South Carolina: Flood and Recovery

Stories of people and communities going about the work of recovery from the floods of 2015 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016.00000177-2120-db48-a97f-fb222fb50000In 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.Then, one year later, rain and storm surge from Hurricane Matthew dealt a blow to many in South Carolina still at work recovering from the 2015 floods.SC Public Radio Flood Coverage from the Beginning

Narrative: Exhaustion Sets in For Flood Survivors as Relief Efforts Flag

South Carolina Public Radio

Published August 9, 2016 at 1:01 PM EDT

Rachel Larratt stands among the wreckage in her community after the flood of October 4, 2015.

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Courtesy of Rachel Larratt

This image is the last photo that Rachel took of the rising water level outside her home before taking her daughter to safety.

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Courtesy of Rachell Larratt

Community recovery efforts that Rachel helped coordinate soon after the flood in her Gills Creek area neighborhood.

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Courtesy of Rachel Larratt

Rachel Larratt describes the exhaustion of the October flood survivors who are still fighting to receive aid and support many months later.

In the South Beltline and Gills Creek area of Columbia, many homes were extensively damaged by last October's flood. Rachel Larratt, a survivor turned volunteer from this area, reflects on the water rising in her own home, as well as the deflated spirits of other survivors who are still struggling to recover from the disaster.