When Mayor Julia Nelson thinks back to the flood that devastated Clarendon County in October 2015, one memory stands out vividly – the moment she realized how quickly disaster can strike.
“I had driven through Pocotaligo Swamp heading into Manning,” Nelson recalled. “Later, a waitress at Shoney’s said she couldn’t get home because the swamp had flooded. I told her, ‘I just drove through there and everything was fine.’ When I went back, I was amazed at how quickly the water had risen.”
By the time she returned to the swamp, the scene had transformed into chaos. “The water was covering the hood of cars, and people were trying to leave their vehicles,” she said. “Our brave law enforcement went into the swamp with boats and rescued several people. I remember Officer Scott Danback and many others wading through the water to help.”
The historic flood – often compared to Hurricane Hugo in both scale and spirit – left roads impassable, homes destroyed, and communities cut off from surrounding areas. Nelson said the damage to infrastructure alone was staggering.
“I was horrified at the amount of damage to our roads,” she said. “The soil was gone, pipes buried for years were visible, and the asphalt was gone.”
A COMMUNITY UNITED
In the days that followed, the City of Manning mobilized to meet immediate needs while also relying on the kindness of neighbors and strangers alike. “We were basically trying to help as many people as possible,” Nelson said. “Several people were displaced, and the basic necessities for most were unavailable. We were mostly without power, and only a couple of restaurants were open. I specifically remember Hardee’s being open with a long line.”
Locally, volunteer Sharon Thames-Sims set up a mobile kitchen at the Manning Police and Fire Department, serving meals to anyone in need. “There were so many acts of kindness like this, where people were just helping in any way possible,” Nelson said.
As supplies began pouring in from across the country, the challenge shifted to storage and distribution. “The City of Manning turned to the First Baptist Church of Manning and the late Pastor Dale Roach to use a vacant building on their campus,” Nelson said. “Members of First Baptist helped organize and distribute supplies, while other overflow items – like cleaning products, hygiene kits, blankets, and building materials – were stored in city warehouses for later use.”
Nelson said one lesson learned from that experience was the importance of limiting donated clothing to new items. “The clothing became a big problem because of the bad condition of some of it,” she said.
Clarendon’s schools also played a key role, opening their doors to help meet the needs of students and families displaced by the flood.
HELP FROM NEAR AND FAR
Support arrived not just from within the county, but from across the nation. “I remember DJ Miles from Sumter and his church, New Spring, arriving in Manning with 18-wheeler trucks one after another filled with supplies,” Nelson said. “Their pastor and members stayed in Manning and assisted with distributions.”
A church from Texas organized an entire truckload of materials and had it delivered to Manning. Former residents who had moved away also sent financial and other donations to support the city’s recovery.
LESSONS FOR THE FUTURE
A decade later, Nelson said the flood forever changed how she approaches emergency preparedness. “I always remain aware of approaching bad weather,” she said. “I try to keep the public informed and encourage everyone to remain alert, prepare, and to assist our vulnerable neighbors.”
But what she remembers most is not the destruction. It’s the unity.
“I felt especially proud of Team Manning,” Nelson said. “The long and exhausting hours that they were away from their families. The police department, fire department, public works department – all of them gave their all. We were never closer as a community other than the time of Hurricane Hugo.”
The flood erased political lines and divisions, she said. “We were just one big family trying to figure out how the children would get back to school, how bus drivers would find new routes where roads had washed away. We were a united community.”
THE LINGERING AFERMATH
While the floodwaters eventually receded, many of its effects lingered long after. “Homes were covered in mold and uninhabitable, yet people were forced to remain in them,” Nelson said. “The health of several people was compromised by their experiences during and after the floods. Lives were lost way beyond the flood due to the conditions people had to live in.”
Nelson also recalled taking a helicopter tour across the county after the storm. “The destruction I thought existed was only a small part of what our county suffered,” she said. “It was devastating. The landscape of Clarendon County had changed due to the massive amount of water.”
“The remediation that took place following the floods was limited due to the massive destruction that the floods had caused,” Nelson said. “Several crews came to us and dived in to do that tedious work. We were blessed with volunteers near and far.”
Still, amid all the loss, Nelson sees the 2015 flood as a defining moment in Manning’s story: a reminder of the strength of a small town that came together when it mattered most.
