Localized Flooding Due to Rains

​While Hurricane Sally may have made land fall in the Gulf region, her presence is still being felt in Edgefield County in the form of heavy rains and localized flooding.  The rains began in the county Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 16 and continued through mid-morning, Sept. 17, when the area experienced “a lull” before the next wave was expected to come.  The Advertiser spoke with Emergency Management Director Suzy Spurgeon shortly before the noon hour, Sept. 17, for a current update on conditions throughout the county as a result of the weather.  Spurgeon advised that the county had seen localized flooding, particularly along Martintown Road, at BettisAcademy near Hwy 25, and on Delaughter Drive.  She also advised that the access road to the Mill Creek Subdivision (whose main road was washed out in early July due to localized flooding) is impassible.  However, Spurgeon did advised that residents of that area where given 48 hours notice of the possibility of bad weather and bad conditions in that area so that they could make preparations of even evacuate if necessary.  Spurgeon said that it was expected that the road should be passable again within 1-2 days.  “Once it stops raining, everything should absorb back into the ground,” she noted but added that it would not only needed to stop raining in the direct area but “up creek” as well.  Spurgeon also informed the Advertiser that Stevens Creek was rising and was not expected to crest until 4:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 18.  The fact that the creek is currently in a planned draw-down “plays in our favor” Spurgeon said in regards to flooding along the creek.  Local officials were monitoring the creek’s situation.  Spurgeon also told the Advertiser that a “slight rotation” was present off Hwy 25 near Friendship Lane around 9:30 Thursday morning, Sept. 17.  However, she said that there was no touch-down and no reports of damages in that area.  Spurgeon had also received no reports of damages in any other parts of the county at the time of this reporting.  As of 11:30 Thursday morning, though, there were 4 power outages being reported by Aiken Coop on Scotts Pond Road.  

​As another wave of storms is expected to hit the area Thursday afternoon, the Advertiser will continue to monitor the situation and bring updates as warranted.  

Tiffani Ireland