Hurricane Preparation and Response
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With over 200 miles of ocean shoreline, South Carolina’s coast is a wonderful area to live, work and relax. The coast is the permanent home of over 1 million people and welcomes over 15 million visitors each year. Increased coastal development is bringing more people to our shores every year. In fact, Myrtle Beach is ranked as the 13th fastest growing metropolitan area in the country. Treasured by many, the life style offered by the coast is tempered by the regular threat of hurricanes and other disasters. In late September 1989, Hurricane Hugo came ashore just north of Charleston and wreaked havoc along our coast, causing an estimated $5 billion in damages in South Carolina alone. Hugo displaced communities, destroyed homes and businesses and challenged the Lowcountry way of life. Over the years, the coast has recovered and many lessons have been learned. In 1990, South Carolina adopted a policy of retreat from our shorelines to encourage development a safe distance away from the water’s edge. Although it has been 17 years since the last major storm hit South Carolina, other catastrophic events around the world have shaped the way we all think about life on the coast. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, the role of coastal managers in emergency response operations has been redefined. Coastal managers must now be prepared to respond to disasters of any size that may occur at any time. In South Carolina, DHEC’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Management (OCRM) plays an integral role in the preparation and recovery of our coastal communities. |
Be Prepared!
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Pre-Storm Preparation
Beaches and dunes are nature’s best defense against storm surge and extreme tides. Healthy beaches and dunes are able to diffuse wave energy and act as a natural barrier against rising sea levels. To determine how much sand is on our beaches and how the beach and dunes are contoured, OCRM partners with Coastal Carolina University to maintain a rigorous schedule of beach monitoring at 400 sites along the coast each year. This information is compiled and published in OCRM’s annual State of the Beaches Report.
South Carolina’s beaches naturally erode and accrete, but when erosion begins to threaten existing coastal structures and public access to the beach, beach renourishment is an available option to fortify our beaches. Based on annual beach monitoring data and historic trends, OCRM prioritizes beaches in need of renourishment and publishes its recommendations in the annual State of the Beaches Report. OCRM receives state funding to implement limited renourishment projects and partners with local governments to leverage additional financial resources through local funding matches. OCRM also works with the Army Corps of Engineers on federally-funded renourishment projects.
Staff preparation for hurricane season also begins long before the first storm forms. By regulatory authority, OCRM assesses damage to coastal structures within jurisdictional lines of the immediate coastal area, including habitable structures, pools, sea walls and other erosion control devices. Accomplishing the job requires preparation and implementation of an Emergency Response Plan. OCRM has been making a concerted effort to utilize technology, data, and staff expertise to build its capacity to respond to any emergency within its jurisdiction.
OCRM works with coastal communities to compile a database consisting of the best available beach survey data, property parcel data and coastal structure inventory. This information is loaded onto portable GIS units to facilitate post-storm field operations by enabling damage assessors to determine exactly how a storm has affected specific areas. OCRM also maintains a photographic catalogue of coastal structures to help identify original location and configuration – two things that can change dramatically during a storm.
Post-Storm Response
Following a storm event, OCRM’s goal is to help coastal property owners get back on their feet as soon as possible by expediting the permit process for rebuilding. OCRM’s staff is divided into several damage assessment teams, which are led by experienced regulatory staff, including engineers. As soon as conditions allow, these teams are dispatched to assess damage in the immediate coastal area. The goal of these teams is to determine the extent of damage to coastal property as quickly and efficiently as possible. GIS technology has dramatically increased OCRM’s ability to locate and identify structures when no points of orientation exist after a storm event.
Once a structure is determined to be repairable, damaged beyond repair or requiring further inspection, OCRM can provide guidance to property owners on how to begin the process of rebuilding. If a structure is repairable, an authorization letter is issued to the property owner stating that the structure can be restored to its original condition. If the structure is destroyed beyond repair, a letter is issued stating that the property owner must obtain a new permit before the structure can be rebuilt. If the structure requires a more thorough assessment, a letter is issued informing the property owner of this fact and providing details on the assessment process, including the ability to appeal the initial determination.
Throughout the response and recovery process, OCRM works closely with the S.C. Emergency Management Division and local governments to ensure open lines of communication exist and administrative processes run smoothly. In particular, OCRM coordinates post-storm structure damage assessments with local governments, that may also be performing their own damage assessments as mandated by FEMA. Other post-storm coordination at the state and federal level may involve emergency beach renourishment or dune rebuilding projects.
Emergency Orders
OCRM provides further assistance to coastal communities by issuing Emergency Orders to help mitigate damage caused by erosion. The emergency order process bypasses typical DHEC permitting procedures and allows work to be done quickly following a storm event, though all work must comply with DHEC regulations. Emergency work following a hurricane or tropical storm is usually limited to three specific activities. Minor beach renourishment allows for beach-compatible sand to be brought in from an upland source and used to rebuild an eroded sand dune. Sand scraping allows for sand to be scraped up from the lower beach at low tide and used to rebuild an eroded dune. Sandbagging allows for 5-gallon size sand bags to be stacked around the exposed support pilings or building foundation of an oceanfront structure. Emergency orders can also be issued after a hurricane for non-beachfront activities, such as the rebuilding of docks and marinas damaged by the storm, or the removal of debris from creeks and marshes.
Although we all hope for the best during hurricane season, we must be prepared for the worst. Together with our partners on the federal, state and local level, OCRM will continue to work to minimize the human impacts from coastal disasters and facilitate an efficient recovery.