00:00Myrtle Beach has already seen a lot of flooding. We've been sharing a lot of that footage here on
00:03the AccuWeather Network. So what has Debbie's impact been so far to your coastal city?
00:09Well as of now it's been very minimal but we're not out of the woods yet. We still have a lot of
00:15rain to come and that is our biggest concern is the amount of water that this storm will bring
00:21as well as the fact that it's just going to stall over us for the next day or two.
00:26So the concern is definitely about flooding.
00:30And everyone loves the boardwalk there. So many of those local businesses. Have you seen big
00:35impacts along those businesses in the boardwalk? Any kind of injuries or road closures that you
00:40can report on? No injuries thank goodness but definitely our businesses will be impacted.
00:48August is the end of our peak tourist season. So the fact that our small businesses many of
00:54them are closed today. Many of our visitors have gone home in anticipation of the storm. So this
01:00will impact our business community and that's very unfortunate because this is the time of year
01:06where they make the bulk of their money. Yeah that's such an important reminder here with
01:09kind of an early season impact here. Typically we see that peak into September but now we're
01:13talking early August. So that is a big impact on coastal communities. So what are your teams
01:17focused on today as Debbie continues to bring more rain and more of that coastal push of water
01:22with more flooding? Our teams I have to give them such a huge shout out. They really worked all too
01:29well to prepare our city in anticipation of this tropical storm. And that includes lowering the
01:37levels in our storm water retention ponds to hold the extra water. Emptying out, cleaning out storm
01:43drains, ocean outfall drains. So really doing everything they can to keep our community as
01:49safe as possible. And they are on standby with high water vehicles and boats. Not only for our
01:55community if needed but for our neighbors who may not have the equipment that we do. We still have
02:00a lot of rain, some winds to come. Stay inside if at all possible and definitely do not go on the
02:08beach or in the ocean. We are at a double red flag warning. That means the ocean is closed.
02:14I know it's enticing especially to surfers but it's just too dangerous and it's not worth the risk.
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