CHESTER, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Residents of a Chester neighborhood have been battling flooding issues for decades. That community is Jeter Heights near the county fairgrounds.
In January, Tierra Wilson moved her family out of their home after years of unexplained nosebleeds and illness. You can see mold and water damage all throughout her home.
“It’s just nasty, you couldn’t keep socks, nothing,” Wilson said. “The evaporation rises into the house so you almost have, you can almost feel the dampness in the carpet.”
The ground was soft in her backyard when Queen City News visited days after when there was no rain in the area.
“I’ve never seen soil that never gets dry,” Wilson said. “Even today it’s still not dry.”
And she’s not alone. Wilson’s neighbor, Yvonne Hughes has been leading the fight to bring attention to this flooding issue.
“It’s gotten worse over the years, and you almost have to be like Noah, get in a boat to get out after the rain,” Hughes said.
The neighbors tell us after an hour of steady rain in Jeter Heights, their yards turn into raging rivers.
“We keep trying to tell people we got this problem,” Hughes said. “We have outlets, but they get clogged form the debris that’s mixed in with the water.”
Chester Mayor Carlos Williams met with the neighbors on April 16.
“I’ve been hearing it for years,” Williams said. “It’s not just this area, it’s around Chester. It’s the culverts.”
He said the city received a $250,000 grant to do a stormwater study for the city – and this is one of the first areas they will check.
“All these people that have been in government, been on council, been your mayors just being leaders in this community overlooked this community,” Williams said.
Williams said South Carolina DOT maintains the drains and will be key to help. He said last week the city had plans to host vendors to look at the situation.
“We can show South Carolina DOT this is what the City of Chester is doing for its residents; we need you to step up and do the same,” Williams said.
Neighbors like Wilson still wait for relief.
“Ever since I moved my whole body feels better not being in this house,” Wilson said. “I really would love to be able to come back home, but I don’t see that really happening.”
We reached out to South Carolina DOT for comment. An official on the phone said they have received our request and are looking to gather more information for us.
