[Updated 03-17-16]
Problems still linger for residents in many of the areas hit hard by October’s “thousand year flood” in South Carolina. Richland County, located in the Midlands of the state, has held a series of community input meetings in locations such as Gadsden, Eastover and the capital city of Columbia, to gather information on what needs still exist.
South Carolina Public Radio’s Tut Underwood talked with attendees at one of these meetings in the the Eastover area, about 2 miles south east of the capital. They tell stories of homes that have been lost to irreparable damage, contaminated well water, and a washed-out bridge that is still in the process of being rebuilt—which means local residents are having to take inconvenient and time-consuming detours.
More on this story.
By VINCENT KOLB-LUGO
Access, well water, infrastructure, home rebuilding, loans – these are some of the persistent issues residents brought to the table during Richland County’s series of community input meetings held January 19 through 23. In response to October’s floods, county officials wanted to position the community be more resilient to flooding in the future. Richland County hired Eric Byrne, a water resources engineer with Tetra Tech of Atlanta, to help gather information about what the county can do to prepare for future flooding events.
Among the proposed solutions: property acquisitions and buyout opportunities, as well as increasing and modifying infrastructure such as bridges, culverts, and conveyance systems. Input from the meetings will be used to identify persistent flood-related issues and design engineering strategies that counter future floods. The best ideas will be used in applications to federal agencies with hopes that the county will receive grant funds to resolve some of the lasting problems.
Bernice Scott is an advocate for the Lower Richland area. She was at an input meeting in Eastover voicing concerns of contaminated well water. “I didn’t have any problem with the water personally myself… but other people really have a lot of problems. So that’s what I’m doing here,” Scott said. Following the flood, Richland County issued a water boil advisory to alert businesses and residents of potential health risks. In addition to advocating, Scott also has helped others apply and reapply for public assistance grants and loans form the Small Business Association.
Lillie Bates of Hopkins was lucky. Unlike other residents, her home was not damaged by the flood, but her commute has become a series of trials and errors. “I’m in, like, the center of Garner’s Ferry and Bluff Road, and when I’m trying to get around in the Lower Richland area there were bridges out, and they still are out.”
Roadways, bridges, and dams swept away in the flood waters have left other residents without a way to enter or leave their communities. When the flood waters receded, more than 500 roads and bridges had closed because of damage or risk of damage. To date, the South Carolina Department of Transportation estimates that more than 85 percent of roads and bridges have reopened, with more expected to reopen by June.
Eugenie Parker was not as lucky. A homeowner in Columbia, she awoke to a flood alarm ringing on her phone and water rushing into her house. Parker and her husband have flood insurance, and they have received rent-assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help pay for the home they are renting. Still, the future is uncertain. “I’m glad to hear about the mitigation grants, ‘cause that’s what we’re hoping, you know, since no one on our street’s going to rebuild, we’re hoping that they can get, maybe, grant money,” Parker said.
The community input meetings have finished and a report has been drafted for review by the Richland County Blue Ribbon Committee, a commission of public and private sector representatives of the county in charge of making recommendations to the county council about how to prioritize projects with funds from federal and state agencies.
- South Carolina’s Laura Hunsberger talked to committee members regarding their recommendations: Richland’s Disaster Recovery Chief on the County’s Next Steps