HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - People who live in the Rosewood neighborhood of Socastee began the process of having Horry County buy out their homes after years of flooding.
In-person enrollment sessions began Tuesday at the Socastee Library. Residents like Terri Straka have been through seemingly countless floods in the past six years. They’ve begged for buyouts and now they’re finally getting them.
Straka said her session went very well, and officials have made the process simple.
“It’s kind of effortless, so it’s been phenomenal,” Straka said.
Straka said it’s impossible to imagine just how difficult it is to live in a home that continuously floods unless one actually goes through it.
“It’s exhausting,” she said. “It really is. Emotionally, physically, everything. It just wipes everything out of you.”
With no one willing to buy a home in a neighborhood known for flooding, Straka said moving was never an option.
“You really can’t sell because it being in the flood plain, and so your alternatives of where to go or even how to get there are difficult,” she said.
Now that Horry County will buy her home, Straka can focus on the future, which she believes is filled with hope and opportunity.
“Future looks great,” she said. “If I can just find somewhere to go, that’s the next issue. I’ve got to tackle that. Where am I going to go? But at least the “how to” has been simplified some.”
Straka said she doesn’t want to move far from Rosewood, but she wants to make sure her next home is far enough away from any bodies of water.
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