Charleston, South Carolina – The City of Charleston will showcase an area-specific flood action plan at this week’s Basin Action Flood Committee meeting.
The marsh on Charleston’s peninsula is home to two historic neighborhoods: Rosemont and Bridgeview. This makes them particularly vulnerable to floods caused by storm surge, high tides, and heavy rain. The city and numerous groups are striving to address this issue with both short and long-term remedies.
“We, the city, are working on a flood action plan for the community. We want to have that finalized by the end of the year. We’re going to do a little preview, we’ve done a preview for the community, and now a public preview of some of the work that’s been done to help identify some nature-based solutions, some short-term stormwater improvements for the community, and longer-scale adaptation with sea level rise ideas for the community,” Kaylan Koszela, the city’s director of resilience, said.
The Lowcountry Alliance for Model Communities, an environmental advocacy group, is helping to shape the flood action plan. In addition to natural alternatives, they are considering raising and renovating structures to combat flooding. For years, these two communities have worked together to solve this problem.
“Even in my yard, I had to put rocks because it was cratering,” Beverly Montgomery, vice president of the Rosemont Neighborhood Association, explained. “They set up monitoring to see where the water levels rose. Also, they keep their grass and other vegetation chopped down so that the water can disguise the marsh area because you can’t see anything until you tread down on it. Many of them are putting up with dirt and adding more dirt to their yards.”
Despite the fear of rising sea levels, Montgomery expressed hope that this flood action strategy will protect her generational community.
“I’ve lived here for 70 years. I relocated and returned several times but never left Charleston. So, keeping this place and this community going means a lot to me. I adore the people up here; I don’t spend much time with them, but I do. So I’d like to see things improve for both them and myself,” Montgomery added.
The basin action flood committee is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 18.
