Charleston Floods Are Getting Worse. For Thee Residents, It’s Worth the Risk.
By Kris Frieswick- The Wall Street Journal
September 11, 2025
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Ashley Avenue, the street where Denise and John Matthews own a home, floods so frequently that it’s earned a nickname among locals: Lake Ashley.
To make matters worse, local “yahoos” and “idiots” drive at top speed through the flooded streets, sometimes towing wakeboards, Denise says. Twice in the past two years, her car has been totaled by wakes they’ve created on Ashley Avenue. After a December 2023 nor’easter, she says, so many cars were damaged this way that “pretty much half this block has a new car.” To address the problem, the city passed an ordinance last year declaring a “no wake” zone on any street with more than 6 inches of water.
But Denise, a 54-year-old interior designer who is originally from New England, adores Charleston’s historic homes, people and food. She and her husband paid about $1.11 million for their three-bedroom Charleston home in 2020, and she isn’t letting the flooding dampen her affection for her adopted hometown. “I love absolutely everything about it here,” says Denise. “The flooding doesn’t come into play in our minds.”