flooding

Charleston Becomes First Southern City To Sue Big Oil

On September 9th, the city of Charleston, SC filed a lawsuit against fossil fuel companies, claiming they have been misleading the public on the realities of climate change and caused devastating flooding throughout the city.

The lawsuit was filed in the S.C. Court of Common Pleas in Charleston and named 24 fossil fuel companies including Exxon Mobil Corporation, Hess Corporation, Shell Oil Company, BP America Inc., and Chevron Corporation.

Charleston has been plagued with frequent flooding for quite some time that experts predict will only get worse overtime – a problem that the city says is due to the effects of fossil fuel companies and the rising sea level.

“As this lawsuit shows, these companies have known for more than 50 years that their products were going to cause the worst flooding the world has seen since Noah built the Ark,” Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg explained in a statement regarding the lawsuit. “And instead of warning us, they covered up the truth and turned our flooding problems into their profits. That was wrong, and this lawsuit is all about holding them accountable for that multi-decade campaign of deception.”

Charleston is now the first southern city to sue oil companies for their alleged role in climate change.

While there has not been a direct response from the defendants listed in the lawsuit, Shell officials have stated they “do not believe the courtroom is the right venue to address climate change.”

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Innovative Solutions Will Protect Holy City From Sea Level Rise

Featured Image Credit: Wall Street Journal

Since Charleston’s founding in 1670, our city’s rich culture, thriving economy, and beautiful scenery have drawn millions of visitors from every corner of the world to our coast for generations. Still, today in 2018, Charleston is a vacation destination, and enjoys unprecedented levels of growth, as any resident is well aware.

With growth though comes growing pains, and there are many issues Charleston faces that we should address. One direct threat to the Holy City in both the short and long-term is sea level rise. Throughout the previous two decades in South Carolina, tidal flooding has increased by 300 percent, with the sea level rising 10 inches on our coast since 1950. If that doesn’t worry you, this should: the rate of sea level rise has tripled in the last 10 years alone, with the water rising an inch every two to three years.

At this point, it is obvious to all of us the risk sea level rise poses to our city. With flooding comes more difficult commutes, damage to our roads and bridges, and destruction of our world-class beaches. Ultimately, this negatively impacts the Charleston economy by hampering tourism and increasing costs and living expenses on Charlestonians through higher taxes to pay for emergency management and infrastructure repairs.

What is being done to combat this growing problem? Fortunately, at the national level, there is growing awareness in Congress from both Democrats and Republicans that the issue of rising sea levels must be addressed. For example, Republican Rep. Carlos Curbelo (FL-26) and Democrat Rep. Seth Moulton (MA-06) are working together to build bipartisan support for their new legislation, The Flood Protection Act.

In Charleston, our city and her citizens have taken the danger of sea level rise to heart. Since the 1980s, Charleston has implemented an effective flood mitigation system that drains floodwater into local rivers.

While the flood mitigation plan is a good first step, the problem of sea level rise is only going to get worse without further action. We must all encourage leaders like Sen. Tim Scott, Charleston Mayor John Tecklenburg, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey, and State Senator Chip Campsen to make the issue of sea level rise a top priority, both at the national, state, and local levels. We need them to work together to find solutions that will keep Charleston a thriving and growing city for generations to come.

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Coastal Flooding: A Major Concern For The Lowcountry

Featured Image Credit: Time

Did you know that about 175 years ago, the mayor of Charleston offered a $100 gold medal to whoever could solve the city’s issue of coastal flooding?

Yep, it’s true.

We’re now in 2018. No medal was ever awarded, which means the problem was never solved. Now today we are a city full of development and rising sea levels that have near-daily consequences. Tidal flooding has increased over 200% in the last 20 years and the sea level has risen over 6 inches nationally since 1950.

Image Credit: Charles Merry via Charleston City Paper

The Charleston peninsula that sticks out towards the Atlantic Ocean has largely expanded by filling in creeks and marshes. This leaves the streets susceptible because the water has nowhere else to go. Even on the sunniest days, the streets of Charleston can be flooded due to high tides.

Over the next 15 to 30 years, more severe storms, tidal flooding, and higher tides are expected to get worse. This means that a city like Charleston that is already prone to severe flooding is in some serious trouble.

While tidal floods are often just a foot or two deep, they can stop traffic, swamp homes, damage cars, kill lawns and forests, and poison wells with salt.

Image Credit: College of Charleston

“There are three basic approaches to sea level rise,” said Erika Spanger-Siegfried, a senior analyst for the Climate & Energy Program of the Union of Concerned Scientists. “You can defend against the water with walls to keep it out. You accommodate the water by living with it and elevating buildings and creating channels. Or you retreat.”

Charleston is taking the threat of coastal flooding and rising sea levels seriously, but there is no doubt that more needs to be done about this issue.

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High Tide And Hurricane Irma Hit Charleston Area At The Same Time

Featured Image Credit: Mic Smith, AP

While Hurricane Irma has been downgraded to a tropical storm, the storm is still striking at high tide in the Lowcountry. Already today there have been thousands left without power and multiple trees knocked down. The tide is expected to be between 10-12 feet today.

The record high tide is 12.52 feet in 1989. The most recent record high was 10.23 in 2016. There are many items to be concerned with when the tide is this high. As we know, Charleston floods during regular storms and some places flood during a normal high tide. The combination of both will result in a major salt water flood in downtown Charleston.

Waves breaking over the wall at the Battery in downtown Charleston. ?? #Irma? pic.twitter.com/XsN9r5rJaJ

— Trooper Bob_SCHP (@TrooperBob_SCHP) September 11, 2017

People should prepare for flooding today. The last flooding like this occurred during Hurricane Hugo. To compare to the most recent Charleston hurricane, Matthew, this tide will be a foot or two higher.

The wind will also be a concern today. The tropical storms wind field is over 415 miles wide. Storm surge warnings have been in effect and should be taken seriously. The storm will dump many inches of rain on the Charleston area. Flash Flood warnings have also been issued to several places around the area. Along with the wind and rain, this storm also is showing tornado threats. Many places have been under tornado watches and warnings.

There is expected to be better weather overnight and we are hoping to do away with the storm by Tuesday!

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Charleston Needs To Get Ready For An “Above Average” Hurricane Season

Image Credit: Charlotte Observer
After Hurricane Matthew hit the Lowcountry and its surrounding areas in late October of 2016, many of us hope that we never have to go through anything like that again.

But according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), South Carolina and other parts of the U.S. are expected to have an “above normal” hurricane season. Predictions say that there is a possibility of having anywhere between 11 and 17 tropical storms, with 5 to 9 of those storms becoming hurricanes, and 2 to 4 becoming major hurricanes.

Image Credit: REUTERS via BBC News

“There’s a potential for a lot of hurricane activity this year,” said Ben Friedman, the acting NOAA administrator.

Because of the mix of environmental factors that could weaken or strengthen the climate’s potential of storms, it’s uncertain truly how high the forecast really is. But, NOAA did state that there is a 20 percent chance of a quieter season, a 35 percent chance of a near-normal season, and a 45 percent chance of an “above normal” season.

The forecast “really underscores the importance of preparedness,” Friedman said.

Image Credit: REUTERS via BBC News

It has been a record-breaking 12 years since there has been a catastrophic hurricane that has made landfall in the U.S. but with strong tropical storms and well-built smaller hurricanes like Matthew, these storms can be just as dangerous and deadly as major hurricanes.

The “official” start date for the 2017 Hurricane season was June 1st, and is planned to last through November. There has already been strong activity that has been detected in the Atlantic Ocean with Tropical Storm Arlene. Because this type of activity is becoming so strong so early into the year, it is obvious that we must do everything we can to prepare ourselves for Hurricane Matthew round two, or even something more drastic.

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When It Rains, It Pours, And When It Pours In Charleston, It Floods…

Featured Image Credit: today.cofc.edu
Every Charlestonian knows that you can’t survive in the Holy City without a good pair of rain boots. At one time or another, we have all experienced our cars under water, our street completely submerged, and having to walk knee deep in street water. When it rains in Charleston it pours, and flooding is a given.

The Greater Charleston area has experienced drainage and flooding problems since its founding more than 300 years ago. It is difficult to drain a city that is surrounded by water, next to the ocean, and only a few feet above sea level. To find a resolution to the flooding in Charleston, we need to have a better understanding of what happens when the rain falls.

Image Credit: Stephen B. Morton/ Associated Press

Most people assume that rain falls at the same rate, at the same amount, at the same time over an entire area. But these assumptions are just not true. Rain greatly varies spatially and temporally. So while you might be up to your knees in water by your house, the streets are dry around your neighbor’s house just a few blocks away. Isn’t mother nature great?!

The challenges we face in draining the City during and after a storm are both natural and man-made. The tide cycle has a huge impact on how severe flooding will be, along with man-made inlets and the terrain.

So what is the City of Charleston doing about the flooding? They are working toward resolving all drainage problems in the most effective and cost efficient way possible. The most practical solution for the flooding is to build pump stations for the most flood-prone areas. Two pump stations have already been constructed on the peninsula: the Concord Street pump and the MUSC pump.

Plans for a similar pump station and deep tunnel system are in the works under the Spring/Fishburne/US17 Drainage Improvement Project. Covering 20% of the peninsula, it is by far the largest project the City has undertaken with a budget estimated to exceed $100 million.

As a Charlestonian, what can we do about the flooding? Investing in tall rain boots will help immensely, but residents actually have an enormous influence on city drainage. One of the biggest drainage challenges faced in the Lowcountry is trash.

If we can keep trash and debris off of the streets and out of the storm drain systems, we can significantly decrease the flooding. Making sure your trash cans aren’t swept away by the floods and keeping storm drains unclogged is a major help to the city.

So the next time you strap on your handy dandy rain boots, keep in mind how you can help out the Holy City in keeping the flooding down and ensuring that your walk to King Street isn’t ruined by incoming waves of flooding.