Emily Gardner, who lives on Fairview Road, said her dirt road was washed out Thursday due to severe flooding caused by a burst dam.

“I was pretty stuck. There was no way to get down North Road anyway,” she said.

She was able to leave her home on Friday and headed to Bamberg to work.

“What normally takes me 20 minutes to get to work took me 2 1/2 hours,” she said.

Gardner says she hopes to find another route home during a long recovery process.

“I just hope they can fix all the roads and for the people who are stuck and can’t get home,” Gardner said. “I just hope everyone is safe and doesn’t take any chances and lets the county do what they need to do to fix the roads.”

The state agency that oversees dams confirmed that five dams were breached and failed in Orangeburg County during the historic flood.

One of the dam failures – the Etheredge Millpond Dam – damaged the busy Northern Highway (US 178). The road is closed to traffic.

Repairs to the road and its eventual reopening cannot take place until the dam is repaired by its owner, according to the S.C. Department of Environmental Services.

“Under state law, dam owners are responsible for maintaining the structural integrity of their dams,” SCDES said in a statement.

“Although SCDES does not provide engineering or maintenance services, the agency provides technical assistance and information to help dam owners maintain compliance with safety regulations,” the agency said.

South Carolina has more than 2,300 state-regulated dams. More than 87% of them belong to private interests.

The failing dams in Orangeburg County were all privately owned.

In addition to Etheredge Millpond Dam, other dams in Orangeburg County that have failed include:

• Sam Fogles Pond Dam, near Wolfton on Wolfton Road.

• Lewis Davis Pond Dam between Norway and Livingston on Pondview Drive

• Bolins Millpond Dam on Neeses Highway, west of Neeses.

• Busbees Pond Dam near Springfield on Firetower Road.

“Of the dams that have failed so far, the Etheredge Millpond Dam is the only one that has significantly damaged the roadway,” SCDES said.

SCDES Dam Safety Program staff have responded to several reported dam issues, not only in Orangeburg County but also in Aiken and Barnwell counties.

About 200 roads were closed in Orangeburg County shortly after the storm. About 50 of the 200 roads were washed away.

There were 167 roads still closed in Orangeburg County as of Friday afternoon.

Some major roads connecting the city of Orangeburg to other cities and towns in the county were cut due to the rising river.

• US Highway 301 at the Edisto River

• US Highway 301 at Cannon Bridge Road

• Glover Street on the Edisto River

• River Road at the Edisto River in Rowesville

• Shillings Bridge Road and Lake Edisto Road

“SCDOT is working to reopen these roadways when it is safe to do so,” said Hannah Robinson, media director for the SC Department of Transportation. “As the water continues to recede in some areas, we have not been able to send teams to assess the damage. Therefore, we do not have a repair schedule at this time.

There are other routes to take when traveling around Orangeburg.

Travel requiring crossing US 301 South at the Edisto River

Take US Hwy 178 (North Road) from Orangeburg toward the Town of North, turn left on Woodhaven Street, turn left on Slab Landing Road, turn left on Drag Strip Road, and follow Drag Strip Rd to Highway 4 (Neeses Highway).

Take US Highway 21 East (Rowesville Road) to Branchville and turn right onto US Highway 78 West. Take US Highway 78 west to Bamberg and turn right onto Highway 301/601 North. Take Highway 301/601 to reach your destination.

Travel requiring crossing US 301 North at Edisto River

Take Highway 4 West (Neeses Highway) to Drag Strip Road and turn right onto Drag Strip Road. Drive along Drag Strip and turn right onto Slab Landing Road. Take Slab Landing Road and turn right onto Woodhaven Street. Travel along Woodhaven Street and turn right onto North Road (US Highway 178) toward Orangeburg.

Take Highway 301/601 south to Bamberg. Turn left onto US Highway 78 East. Take US Highway 78 east to Branchville and turn left on US Highway 21 north toward Orangeburg.

Travel from Orangeburg to North

Take US Highway 601 north toward St. Matthews. Turn left onto Old State Road before St. Matthews. Go straight towards Swansea. Turn left onto US 321 heading north.

Residents are urged to avoid driving in affected areas, especially at night, and never drive on flooded roads or around barricades.

In Calhoun County, Emergency Management Agency Director David Chojnacki reported those roads were closed through Friday afternoon:

• Caw Caw Highway between Honeysuckle and Interstate 26.

• Burke Road between Majority and Columbia Road

• AZ Highway was open in Calhoun County, but the Orangeburg Bridge was washed out right in the county.

• Nandina Trail is impassable and washed out. The department’s public works department was working on the road.

A house and business on the road were reportedly flooded.

A dam on Nandina Trail was reportedly broken.

In Bamberg County, roads closed through Friday afternoon were:

Alisha Moore, Bamberg County public information officer, said there is no estimate on when the roads will reopen because the county is waiting for the waters to recede.

The county conducted a water rescue on Embree Road.

Moore said that while the county has not experienced a dam failure, a pipe burst Thursday on Daily Road near Denmark.