Patience required $1.50
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2015
SERVING SOUTH CAROLINA SINCE OCTOBER 15, 1894
Other states that have experienced major flooding offer tips to S.C.
KEY QUESTIONS AND FACTS BY RICK CARPENTER rick@theitem.com
5 SECTIONS,36 PAGES | VOL. 121, NO. 4
enced similar “epic” flood events recently suggest a big dose of patience. They say don’t expect bridge and road repairs to happen overnight, but using federal money to rebuild roads and bridges may be a silver lining to an otherwise tragic situation.
As South Carolinians make Uturns at closed roads and study their GPS devices to find alternate routes, states that have experi-
After suffering from a multipleyear drought, heavy rains washed away dams, roads and bridges in Texas in May. Five months later, what has been repaired, and what will take a more long-term strategy?
Meanwhile, two years after Colorado experienced a 200-year flood, how helpful has the Federal Emergency Management Agency been in rebuilding roads, bridges and other infrastructure? The Sumter Item asked key questions to both states’ department of transportation leaders to give residents an idea of how quickly to expect those barricades to come down and traffic patterns to return to normal. Floods in Texas and Colorado resulted from continuous rainfall during a month, compared to
SEE STATES, PAGE A6
Getting back to normal Fossil Find Paleontologists in Utah dig up 8 animals, many new A5 PANORAMA
City dwellers camp in rustic settings C1 FEAR IS FUN?
Why we love attractions that make us scream D3 DEATHS, A11 Joseph Evans Timothy Jackson Marion Polk Sr. Azalee D. Johnson Dorothy Barrineau Adolph R. Walker Robert Pearson
Mattie Ivey Josie Leigh Hudson David J. Pognant Derrid McCray Eunice Tooke Mary S. Walker
Local organizations assist in law enforcement’s recovery
WEATHER, A12 GETTING COOLER Cooler today with plenty of sunshine. Clear and cold tonight. HIGH 63, LOW 39
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KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
Sgt. Tyshica Gayle of the Sumter Police Department talks with Shelly Orengo, who Gayle refers to as her “angel,” after Orengo helped Gayle organize the clean up of her house.
BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com As residents recover after the rain storm, a few local organizations are looking to reach out to members of law en-
forcement who put others’ lives before their own by helping the officers recover their losses. Shellie Orengo, manager of J&L Country Store and Restaurant in Sumter, created a GoFundMe
iff’s deputies and highway patrolmen — get their lives as close to normal as possible. She said the group wants to take away as
SEE RECOVERY, PAGE A7
DSS helps displaced Summerton residents solve housing situation BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com
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account with the guidance of the store’s owners, Michael Leviner and Matt Chapman. Orengo said the group wanted to help members of local law enforcement — police officers, sher-
SUMMERTON — Eighteen representatives from South Carolina Department of Social Services were at Camp Bob Cooper on Friday, helping flood victims of the West Summerton area find housing. Summerton area residents, who
are staying at the camp temporarily, had to evacuate an apartment complex and houses after floods hit the community on Oct. 4. DSS representatives from 12 counties were at the camp helping residents search for rental properties online. They also drove residents to potential housing sites throughout Clarendon County, said Andrea James-Favor, Lee County
DSS interim county director. DSS representatives were able to assist 37 families, Favor said. A majority of the families who had received help from the department were able to leave the camp on Friday. “One of our responsibilities is to provide assistance to residents
SEE DSS, PAGE A7
More than 100 people attend Art in the Park BY KONSTANTIN VENGEROWSKY konstantin@theitem.com Sumter artist Dennis Snell has been painting for more than 50 years. On Saturday, Snell was one of 26 artists displaying their work at the ninth annual Art in the Park event in Memorial Park. Those in attendance saw Snell in action, painting an oil on canvas of a country barn in less than two hours. Snell, a retired career firefighter, started paint-
ing as a hobby. “I used to paint during my free time at the fire station,” he said. “It’s something that allows me to take my mind off everything else and just focus on the painting.” Snell paints primarily from photographs of landscapes and nature, having completed hundreds of paintings during his lifetime. “As an artist you pick up on the little things,” he said. “For example while I was standing here over the last hour, the shad-
ows changed on the leaves of the tree in front of me.” Art in the Park started nine years ago as a way to bring together artists who lived around the area, said Laura Cardello, organizer of the event. “There are many artists who live in Sumter’s historic district and use this park,” she said. Saturday’s event included painters, stainglass artists, woodmakers, blacksmiths, potters,
SEE ART, PAGE A7
RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
Sumter artist Dennis Snell not only sold art during the Art in the Park festival Saturday, but he also used the time to paint.
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