COLUMBIA, S.C. — Some residents in Orangeburg County are slowly getting back on their feet after devastating flooding last week caused widespread damage. And in addition to the human toll, the economic impact is still being felt.
While many businesses faced physical damage to their stores, others have suffered financial setbacks, even if their buildings remained untouched.
"No one can tell you where they can remember this amount of flooding and damage to this area that took place in the past ever," said James McQuilla, president of the Orangeburg County Chamber of Commerce.
McQuilla is still trying to comprehend the extent of the damage, especially after floodwaters from the Edisto River surged into the Chamber of Commerce's parking lot, rising three feet. The water also flooded the building itself, causing significant damage.
"We had about two and a half feet of water inside the chamber, so we have massive damage, extensive in the chamber," McQuilla explained.
Businesses like Walmart and CVS also suffered damage, with standing water affecting many vehicles parked in their lots.
“There’s been quite a bit of economic loss," McQuilla said. "It may be your car was flooded out because we had a lot of cars in parking lots that were flooded. Now folks can’t get to work. The overall economic impact, I think we are still assessing."
In addition to the damage to businesses, ongoing road closures have made recovery even more challenging. Dozens of roads in the county remain closed due to storm damage.
"The fact that it's so difficult to get around. There were over 100 roads damaged in the county. Whether you had immediate flood damage or your roof leaked, or you woke up and your kids couldn’t go to school or you couldn’t take them to daycare, you were impacted, and there was a lot of that," McQuilla said.
For those in need of assistance—whether for childcare, insurance claims, shelter, or other resources—McQuilla advises calling the Chamber of Commerce. The office is now back up and running after some initial phone outages.
"We are going to be working with city administration and the county to find out what is available for folks who are calling in. For a while, we were not able to answer the phones, but we are back up now," McQuilla said, sounding optimistic.
As recovery efforts continue, the community is banding together to support one another and rebuild from the devastation caused by last week's flooding.