CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - The Coastal Conservation League is collecting data to identify flooding and drainage solutions that are important to the Lowcountry.
The environmental group posted a 19 question survey to help local municipalities and the federal government resolve flooding issues and prevent new developments from being built in areas already impacted by flooding.
The initiative is starting in Charleston County.
"Right now, the survey is just to collect the data to get a baseline understanding of just what people want, what options we might be able to draft and create for them, and where some of these communities are," Jason Crowley, the Director of Communities and Transportation for the Coastal Conservation League said. "All of this is anonymous, and the data won't be publicized."
Crowley said they don't want homeowners who participate in the survey to worry about their property values being impacted negatively.
"It's very important for us to emphasize that this is a voluntary survey, it would be a voluntary program if there was a buy out program that we were able to create policy for and their privacy, their property values, their property itself remains private and protected and anonymous," Crowley said.
Crowley said the environmental group had areas like the Bridge Pointe community in Shadowmoss Plantation in mind when they started this survey.
In 2017, the Federal Emergency Management Agency approved a $7.7 million grant to buy out 32 of those homes, to tear them down, and to turn the area back into a green space.
The homes were badly flooded during the 1,000-year flood in 2015 and again when Hurricane Matthew hit in 2016.
“Thinking about just how many people have their properties continuously impacted and what are ways that we can get those folks out of harms way, get that land restored back to the natural flood plain, get green infrastructure put in that can absorb flood waters again, and ensure that we are not continuing to put more people in that same exact location. That is the idea,” Crowley said.
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