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Ongoing coverage of South Carolina's recovery from the flooding of 2015.What had been Lindsay Langdale's Columbia home October 3, 2015 was a flooded ruin the next day.This coverage is made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In October of 2015, South Carolina received rainfall in unprecedented amounts over just a few days time. By the time the rain began to slacken, the National Weather Service reported that the event had dumped more than two feet of water on the state. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the subsequent flooding was the worst in 75 years.

Flood Cleanup Needs Are Ongoing, USC Students Are There to Help

Just because some of South Carolina’s flood-ravaged roads and bridges have been re-opened and repairs to homes and businesses are in progress does not mean that little remains to be done.  A group of University of South Carolina students tackled one unmet need at Columbia’s Gills Creek the weekend prior to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

"This flood was a particularly large reminder of how connected we are. This waterway, Gills Creek, is a good metaphor for that because it crosses Assembly Street right through our campus and then before you know it's right here at Fort Jackson." -USC President Harris Pastides

The Gills Creek area was the site of some of the Midlands’ most severe flooding. The watershed is included in the cities of Columbia, Cayce, Forest Acres, and Arcadia Lakes; Richland County, and the US Army's Fort Jackson. More than 600 USC students decided to help clean up flood debris from the creek banks and surrounding area. Over the course of two weekends, the students, joined by USC President Harris Pastides, helped to clean up areas near Fort Jackson Boulevard off Garner's Ferry Road.  In this week’s South Carolina Focus, the students talk about their motivations for helping out, and their plans to return to do more work soon.

Star: Williams-Brice Stadium, Diamond: site of USC flood clean-up on Gills Creek
Star: Williams-Brice Stadium, Diamond: site of USC flood clean-up on Gills Creek

Tamaragail Tarrant says that her motivation is to help keep the area beautiful and she hopes that students will carry on the project long after she leaves the University of South Carolina.  Many students do, in fact, get involved in a variety of service projects, and President Pastides tries to play a small role each year as a partner in a charitable event.  Pastides actually saw Martin Luther King Jr. speak at Madison Square Garden as a boy and it was an experience that has spurred him to keep the Civil Rights leader's spirit present as he helps others. 

Other organizations working to clean up and beautify the area include:

Keep the Midlands Beautiful

Palmetto Pride

Columbia Green

The City of Columbia

More information about Disaster and Flood Recovery can be found at SCEMD.org

Tut Underwood is producer of South Carolina Focus, a weekly news feature. A native of Alabama, Tut graduated from Auburn University with a BA in Speech Communication. He worked in radio in his hometown before moving to Columbia where he received a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of South Carolina, and worked for local radio while pursuing his degree. He also worked in television. He was employed as a public information specialist for USC, and became Director of Public Information and Marketing for the South Carolina State Museum. His hobbies include reading, listening to music in a variety of styles and collecting movies and old time radio programs.