By Alexis Simmons|February 3, 2020 at 4:04 PM EST - Updated February 3 at 7:17 PM
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County Council will consider a new plan to prevent flooding impacts in the future including new building rules and stricter standards so that the county can recover quickly from major weather events like hurricanes and tropical storms.
County Council is expected to vote Tuesday on adding what they call “Resilience Elements” to the county’s 10-year comprehensive plan.
If approved, the county says these new elements will serve as a road map for new strategies the county will explore to anticipate risks, limit impacts and to bounce back from flooding events that can happen in the future.
Supporter of flood improvements, Joseph Evans says flooding is getting worse.
“They need to do something about it, flooding comes messes people’s cars up houses and all that,” Evans said.
County officials say after speaking with people in both rural and urban areas of the county, flooding was their top concern.
If passed, it means county officials could begin changing ordinances and implementing new development rules that could include prohibiting filling of land where flooding could take place, requiring developers to incorporate new runoff storage plans, creating a drainage master plan and more.
Charleston County resident Travis Gibson says he’s missed work due to flooding
“I think it’s a long time coming, a lot of times the back roads in small neighborhood areas get drowned out here, you can’t leave for work purposes," Gibson says.
The county also plans to educate the community more about flooding and preventative measures.
County rules regarding construction will not change immediately with the passing of the new plan, but the plan provides a framework for changes people can expect in the near future.
Any change to an ordinance or introduction of a new drainage project will be vetted and must go through the standard public approval process.
On Tuesday, the planning committee will meet first to discuss the "Resilience Elements," and the council meeting will follow.
The meetings begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Charleston County Government Building located at 4045 Bridge View Dr. in North Charleston.
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