Lexington County Sheriff’s Department has officers on the ground this week in the Pee Dee several we

Horry County, SC (Paul Kirby) – The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department is lending a hand manning traffic control points in Horry County several weeks after our own near miss with massive Hurricane Florence. Sheriff Koon sent deputies to the area over the last week after they were requested to assist in ongoing efforts in areas that have flooded since the hurricane passed.

Areas like Conway are actually much worse now than they were when the hurricane was hovering over that community’s residents’ homes. As heavy rains fell across the state, it filled our creeks, streams, and rivers and all that is now causing their waterways to overflow their banks. This has made many of the roads in the area impassible, and many homes that weathered the hurricane’s winds are now completely underwater. Even one of the streets that President Donald Trump walked during his post-hurricane visit would now be well over his head in water if he were visiting today.

First responders who live and work in that area were by no means exempt to the carnage. Many of those had to report to work and stay many extra hours without knowing exactly what was happening to their own properties. Now, they are simply exhausted and when they finally get to leave the front lines for a little rest, they are finding their homes destroyed or damaged too.

The LCSD staff loaned to that area is mostly working those traffic control checkpoints for now but are available for any type of call should they be needed. Deputies make sure that no one tries to drive around street barricades, something that can be extremely dangerous, and are also helping to make sure that only people who have a need to be in an area are. They don’t want lots of sightseers or maybe even looters looking for a quick score to flood those areas.

Sheriff Koon was happy to be able to help as his deputies joined the law enforcement community from across the state in lending a hand. Many of the departments and agencies that we are sending help to now were all eager to assist us during the floods of 2015. It’s not known how long our deputies will be needed, but certainly, if there’s a need, we will be there.