After the Storm …

We all heard Gov. Nikki Haley and some local meteorologists compare Hurricane Matthew to the 1989 epic storm Hurricane Hugo. Gov. Haley called for evacuation Wednesday, Oct. 5, more than 48 hours before Matthew’s projected landfall. My wife and I analyzed the information available and decided to ride out the storm, as did about half of the people on our street. We wanted to be able to help out the tenants of our rental properties if they sustained any damage.
Charleston County actually did not experience hurricane force winds during the storm. Gov. Haley ordered the reversal of the eastbound lanes on Interstate 26, and the South Carolina Highway Patrol executed it flawlessly. Traffic flowed smoothly going toward Columbia, and an estimated 310,000 coastal residents evacuated. None of our properties was damaged, and we only lost electrical power at our home for several hours.
Local law enforcement did an outstanding job before and after the storm. The Charleston Police Department had officers on duty at strategic points throughout West Ashley. When the traffic lights went out after the storm, the police had a presence at downed lights and directed traffic. There were few reports of home break-ins, and I’m not aware of any reports of looting at our retail stores. I applaud our law enforcement officers at every level for keeping us safe.
The City of Charleston and Charleston County each had citizen information hotlines. The city hotline was a long recorded message, which gave residents a chance to report damage. It did not offer us an opportunity to speak with a government employee and get questions answered. The Charleston County hotline was much more user-friendly. Operators answered calls promptly and provided the best information available.
Fortuitously, Charleston City Council had its regularly-scheduled meeting Tuesday, Oct. 11 at Grace on the Ashley church on Bees Ferry Road. More than 100 flooding victims in West Ashley showed up to explain their plight. Many of the 30 people who spoke have sustained flooding damage three times during the past 14 months.
A common refrain from the flood victims was that the City of Charleston has allowed too many building permits in wetlands areas. Many residents also spoke about the lack of a preventive maintenance programs for the drainage system and the need for engineering improvements to the drainage system to reflect the rapid growth along the Bees Ferry Road corridor.
Shadowmoss Plantation resident Susan Welborn told City Council, “More development will only make things worse.” She cited a request she made in 2013 for the city to clear out a clogged drainage ditch along the Shadowmoss golf course and that the work was never done.
Several residents from Bridge Pointe condominiums in Shadowmoss, who have sustained major flooding damage four times since 2008, spoke about their concerns. Homeowner Bob Lew said, “Nothing has been done to improve the drainage at Bridge Pointe.” He noted that the two ponds, which bracket the condominiums have never been dredged and are clogged with sediment and debris.
Hickory Farms resident Randy Harley and other homeowners cited a meeting in Dec. 2015 at Drayton Hall Elementary to discuss the August and October flooding events during that year. They expressed that none of their concerns were addressed. Harley said, “None of my questions from the (December) meeting have been answered. Not a darn thing has been done about it (the drainage problems).” He and others opined that the construction of West Ashley Circle has exacerbated drainage problems in Hickory Farms.
Mayor John Tecklenburg vowed that the city staff will “walk every foot of ditch and pipe in the Church Creek drainage basin.” City Councilman Dean Riegel, who represents most of the flooding victims who spoke at the City Council meeting, expressed that overdevelopment was a major cause of the damage. “There is no doubt in my mind that all of this massive development and filling in the wetlands was a major cause of the problem.”
I want to see an integrated drainage plan implemented by the City of Charleston, Charleston County and the South Carolina Department of Transportation which includes a preventative maintenance schedule and engineering improvements so that West Ashley properties won’t flood every time we experience heavy rainfall.
John Steinberger is the former chairman of the Charleston County Republican Party, a leading Fair Tax advocate, and a West Ashley resident. He can be reached at John.steinberger@scfairtax.org.