Richland County Council has many important decisions to make about Flood Recovery in the coming months. Laura Hunsberger talks with Richland County Recovery Chief about the Blue Ribbon Committee, which was formed to work with the County and to help represent the community.
A month after the October floods, Michael King was appointed Richland County’s Disaster Recovery Chief. As Assistant Director with Richland County Emergency Services, King was on the front lines of the disaster from Day 1. South Carolina Public Radio’s Laura Hunsberger sat down with him to talk about what’s next for Richland County’s recovery and what it was like those first few weeks after the flood hit.
The Blue Ribbon Committee is made up of individuals that represent the entire Richland County area. These are community members from private and public sectors, volunteer organizations, and others who have expertise, county-wide, about the flood recovery process. Their knowledge and expertise is different from the County employees, who do the work of researching recovery projects and applying for funding from various sources. Ultimately, Richland County Council makes decisions regarding the allocation of funds for flood recovery, but the Blue Ribbon Committee provides independent input on what projects are most needed in the community. The Committee acts as a go-between for the County Council and the County employees, providing accountability and feedback.
On Tuesday, March 1, 2016 Richland County Council will consider a list of projects that the Blue Ribbon Committee has recommended for funding through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program. The criteria for funding project through the HMGP is quite narrow, as projects must meet the specific goal of preventing damage in the case of a similar disaster in the future. However, additional funding options will become available, such as the Community Development Block Grant for Disaster Recovery, which has somewhat wider criteria. The list of projects is prioritized so that the most essential needs will be met first, and the County and Committee will continue to work on finding funding for remaining projects. Richland County as approved the following categories for flood recovery projects:
1. Voluntary Residential Property Acquisition/Buyouts
2. Storm Water Drainage Management (also includes dams)
3. Housing Reconstruction/Rehabilitation
4. Voluntary Non-Residential Property Acquisitions/Buyouts
5. Date/Offsite IT Infrastructure
6. Flood Studies
7. Mitigation of Flood Damage to Fire Suppression Water Capacity Systems
8. Conservation Easements
9. Public Outreach
10. Replacing County Emergency Operations Center (EOC)
The top priority is currently property acquisition. Richland County has identified homes in the flood way that may be eligible for a voluntary buy-out program. Tomorrow, County Council will consider the list of projects recommended by the Blue Ribbon Committee as well as options for funding a buy-out program. We will keep you updated with this story as it develops.
Excerpt from South Carolina Headlines, Wed Mar 02 2016, SC Public Radio