JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCSC) – A Facebook post got a lot of attention after making false claims about the Fort Johnson and May Forest renovation project.
The post, which was created on Friday, got over 400 comments from upset and confused residents. It was created by the group “Charleston Municipality,” they made claims that the project is about international shipping and passenger cruise ships. They said on Saturday in a statement that “the post was obviously very satirical.”
State Representative Spencer Wetmore says seeing the Facebook post and reactions from the public was heartbreaking.
“This is a project that we were really proud of,” Wetmore says. “I sort of understood the assignment here that people do not want to see a whole bunch of new development. People are concerned about flooding or concerned about traffic. To me, I certainly don’t want to see a bunch of houses and development there either. The people that made this post are obviously playing on people’s fears of that.”
An April 4 editorial in The Post and Courier highlighted an ongoing debate in the General Assembly about Duke Energy saving its ratepayers millions through a practice called securitization.
The core of the debate is not whether we should help utility monopolies such as Duke Energy and Dominion Energy save ratepayers money, but how much. Securitization is basically refinancing debt and lowering electric bills for ratepayers. A number of states, including Florida and North Carolina, have given utilities the ability to reduce ratepayer costs for such as expenses as storm cleanups and early retirement of dirty and expensive coal plants by using securitization.
Duke told senators that taking up both storm costs and coal retirement is too complex for this legislative session. Fortunately, I’ve already introduced a bill with bipartisan support, H.5162, that has resolved these complexities, giving our state the option of using securitization to reduce costs for ratepayers for storm cleanup and early retirement of coal plants. Not allowing the securitization of coal retirement costs essentially short-changes ratepayers out of major, long-term savings.
Beyond saving millions for ratepayers, this is a crucial early step in our conversation about a transition to renewable energy. After all, relying on expensive coal is driving greenhouse gas emissions, which, in turn, drive more frequent and extreme hurricanes. The more hurricanes that hit our state, the more storm recovery costs Duke and Dominion will incur and pass along to ratepayers. Instead of putting a Band-Aid on the problem, we should be looking to address the root cause and make it cheaper and easier to transition from fossil fuels to clean, renewable and affordable energy sources.
Transitioning to clean energy has the added bonus of creating jobs of the future here in the United States and moving us away from a global fossil fuel market, where the price of oil and gas are determined by events overseas. Unless we become energy independent and generate our own clean energy, we’ll continue to depend on oil from countries like Russia and will continue to see energy bills and gasoline prices take their toll on our wallets.
South Carolina should close outdated, inefficient coal plants and transition to more clean energy technologies such as solar and wind. In the meantime, let’s use the accounting tools at our fingertips to reduce as much of the cost burdens on customers as we can. H.5162 starts the conversation about this clean energy transition and does it in a ratepayer-friendly way.
Let’s not leave millions in ratepayer savings on the table by securitizing only storm cleanup. We can all also support lower electric bills and a clean energy future, and I hope that Duke and my colleagues in the House will join me in this approach.
Given the balkanized nature of local governments on James Island, it would have been easy for them to point fingers at one another regarding who should tackle the costly and complicated problem of addressing high contamination levels in James Island Creek. Instead, the opposite has happened, and we urge the city and county of Charleston, the town of James Island, public utilities and others to maintain their cooperation until the creek finally is clean.
The James Island Creek Task Force is poised to begin its second year of a five-year testing plan to learn more about the potential sources of contamination, which is crucial to addressing them. Old and failing septic tanks in the suburban neighborhoods along the creek, also known as Ellis Creek to some locals, seem to be the primary reason it is a dicey place to swim or fish.
The group received good news recently as state Rep. Spencer Wetmore helped secure $1 million in the state budget that the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control will hold for future pollution cleanup along the creek, and the governments hope to secure millions more to help hook up homes on septic tanks to existing or extended sewer lines. The South Carolina Infrastructure Investment Program has about $900 million in federal COVID recovery dollars that it plans to grant to efforts to improve water, wastewater and stormwater systems across the state.
The city, county and town are sharing the cost of ongoing testing, which will cost up to $67,000 (from about $50,000 this year), but the extra cost will involve new sampling points to identify problem spots. That information should help utilities identify which fixes could bring the biggest bang for the buck.
Meanwhile, the town of James Island approved a new septic tank ordinance that provides a free inspection for the roughly 400 homes on septic systems that are both in the town and near the creek. The ordinance also requires regular inspections of household septic systems every three years, but the town expects to enforce that requirement only when a problem emerges with one of them. (DHEC permits septic systems but essentially leaves it up to local governments to police them.)
Charleston City Council should follow through with its own ordinance. It is drafting one patterned after Folly Beach’s ordinance, which requires a septic tank inspection prior to the sale of any property; copies must be provided to any occupant, to the property owner and to the city, which notes that a property owner is responsible for ensuring that the septic system is operating effectively. Council members could begin by making the ordinance applicable only to the few dozen city properties on septic near the creek, where there’s a known problem, then expand it citywide if it works well.
The town also tried an innovative step to reduce bacteria levels by creating more than a dozen pet waste stations along residential streets near the creek. Each station has a dedicated can, emptied regularly by the James Island Public Service District, and plastic bags for pet waste are monitored and replenished by a neighborhood volunteer.
At this point there are still unknowns, regarding not only the pace of those changes but also whether other factors, such as birds and wildlife, also are increasing the creek’s bacterial counts. But if additional studies confirm septic tanks are the greatest problem, and if the James Island Creek Task Force’s members can secure the millions of dollars to help hook up homes with failed systems to sewer lines, and if new laws prompt homeowners to better maintain the few septic systems that remain, the creek could get a cleaner bill of health in just a few years.
Time will tell if that’s possible, but everyone should keep working together to try to make it so.
CHARLESTON COUNTY, S.C. (WCIV) — One of the Lowcountry’s popular waterways, called by locals either the James Island Creek or Ellis Creek, is getting help to fight its known bacteria problem.
On Friday, the water quality advocacy group, the Charleston Waterkeeper, released its seasonal weekly testing results. Those results say this weekend is a good time to safely swim in the creek.
Thursday night saw the James Island Town Council conditionally promise the James Island Public Service District $320,000 to switch residents living along Oak Point Road from private septic tanks to the public sewer system.
Other efforts to secure funding for similar ventures is underway.
Dave Schaeffer, the District Manager with JIPSD says, “We are begging and borrowing and stealing, cobbling together as much funding as possible so that this is grant-funded and not on the residents.”
Concerns over possibilities that the aging septic tanks along the creek are behind the recent discovery of low levels of human feces has sparked the James Island Town Council and other groups to take action.
The council recently voted on mandatory inspections for septic tanks every three years.
The Town of James Island is part of the James Island Creek Task Force, which formed in 2020. The City of Charleston, Charleston County, the Charleston Water System and the James Island Public Service District are also part of the group.
Planning stages and certain testing has taken place over the past two years. That includes a dye test done by both CWS and JIPSD throughout town and city-owned portions of the creek.
Charleston Waterkeeper’s Andrew Wunderly says results of the test “found that none of the lines that crossed the creek are leaking.”
That marks off the sewer system as a possible bacterial factor.
That leads back to septic tanks being a potential source, “because even a properly functioning septic tank in a coastal environment can be causing pollution,” Wunderly said.
The James Island Creek Task Force has hired a contractor to continually test the waters. Results from the fall of 2021 showed a variety of results including some human, dog and bird feces.
Levels of certain bacteria were highest by Folly Road Bridge and lower by Harbor View Road. Different factors were also taken into consideration.
Despite the good news overall, Wunderly wants folks who use the creek to keep in mind, “the state actually lists James Island Creek, or Ellis Creek as some folks call it, as impaired.”
Heavy rains can turn a good round of results from one week into a danger zone the next.
Both Schaeffer and Wunderly are happy with the ongoing work of the task force. Schaeffer says JIPSD will reach out to other organizations next week, including the Charleston Water System, for funding help.
Schaeffer and State Rep. Spencer Wetmore (D – Charleston) both confirm that the South Carolina House of Representative’s budget proposal contains a request for a $1 million earmark specifically to help clean up the creek.
Wunderly says the timing couldn’t be better.
“There’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity right now to get this issue fixed and make this creek safe for kids, so they can come here and paddle and swim and crab and enjoy the creek for all that it has to offer,” Wunderly said.
South Carolina is considered the fourth most vulnerable state to climate change’s effects, according to a recent report from the John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The report also found that it is among the eight most unprepared states to deal with negative health effects associated with climate change.
But do South Carolina legislators care about climate change? They had mixed responses when contacted by Statehouse Report.
News about climate change has been around for the past 20 years, said House Minority Leader Todd Rutherford, D-Richland. But there’s a lot of uncertainty about what should be done about it. He said he has yet to hear a solution to the problem.
“I don’t know what we are supposed to do,” he said, noting the Republican leadership in the legislature is taking no action on the issue.
Rutherford said it’s time to hire a panel of experts to review the problem and make recommendations to the legislature for appropriate action. But some lawmakers are not expressing concerns.
Rep. David Hiott, a Pickens County Republican who serves as chairman of the House Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee, said he has not seen the report. He declined comment when asked views on climate change issues.
But Sen. Tom Davis, R-Beaufort, acknowledged that it is an issue and that a remedy is under way. He believes actions will be taken in the near future. In an interview Davis said Gov. Henry McMaster has formed a task force, the S.C. Floodwater Commission, that is studying several issues, including climate change, and he expects recommendations to come forward.
Meanwhile, Rep. Spencer Wetmore, D-Charleston, a known advocate for climate change initiatives, told Statehouse Report that there are a lot of positive efforts underway, such as the move to electric cars and renewable energy initiatives.
“But there is a lot of work to do,” she said.
She said lawmakers have sponsored various bills to deal with the results of climate change, but most of those actions are related to “impact” rather than prevention.
While some consider the failure by lawmakers to take statewide action on climate change, and inaction by McMaster, who supported the Paris Climate Accords pullout by former President Donald Trump, Wetmore said it should not be a political issue.
“Climate change supersedes partisanship,” she said.
CHARLESTON, S.C. – As law enforcement attempts to crack down on abandoned boats in local waterways, a new bill would place more responsibility on the owners.
Bill H.3865, introduced by freshman Representative Spencer Wetmore, would require a permit for watercraft or floating structures to be moored in a public waterway for an extended period, specifically, 14 consecutive days.
The cost of the permit would not exceed $15.00.
For years local law enforcement has been working to remove abandoned and derelict boats which post environmental and navigational hazards.
Boats are often left abandoned due to the cost of upkeep. Charleston Police Department’s Harbor Patrol Unit will track down vessel owners through the registration and the hull identification number.
In compliance with a City of Charleston ordinance, if an owner of a derelict boat is identified, they are issued a $1,000 citation.
But what happens when an owner is not located? “If we’re unable to track down the owners, then we start the abandonment process for us to acquire funds to remove that boat from the waterways,” said Sergeant Chris Morrell, with the Charleston Police Department’s Harbor Patrol Unit, during an interview with News 2 last December.
That money comes from the city, the SC Department of Natural Resources, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and outside donors.
The SC House bill, which passed with wide support on Tuesday, now goes to the Senate floor, where Sen. Chip Campsen has introduced similar legislation.
By the time Folly Beach codifies a set of beach- and marshfront regulations meant to bring development on the long-exempt island roughly in line with state law, it will have been almost a year since the Edge of America declared what was to be a six-month building moratorium.
A rising tide waits for no one, but as City Administrator Spencer Wetmore sees it, the pause will have been worth it.
“I think we’ve probably done a little more than a lot of our neighbors,” she says, referring to a nine-ordinance package put together since June. “We’ve been given this beautiful beach, and we need to take that responsibility (for preserving it) seriously.”
She’s right, of course. And City Council should approve the complete package. The plan covers not only the just-renourished beachfront, but the entire island including the marshes and the marsh islands. All new homes would have to be built at least a foot higher than now required.
Ms. Wetmore says the city has to base its land-use policy on reality, “not renourishment.” Climate change is real and “it would be irresponsible not to plan for that.” Again, she’s right.
In November, the owner of one “super-beachfront” lot donated his underwater property to the city, helping to help clear up the thorny issue of what to do about one of 17 such lots. The new regulations would rightly render them unbuildable.
New ordinances would more tightly regulate septic tanks to keep pollution out of the water, keep the dune system intact and restrict seawalls. Others would regulate marshfront developments, dock lighting along the Folly River and the development of marsh islands.
City Planner Aaron Pope said the city recently sent out a “state of the city” mailer to every resident about what to expect in the coming months. A Jan. 7 Planning Commission hearing would be the last best chance to get up to speed on beachfront management plans before the proposals are handed up to City Council, which will start the next day considering proposals related to dune management, marsh setbacks, docks and marsh island developments including one that would rezone Bowens Island.
So far, there’s been little pushback from homeowners or developers, and there shouldn’t be. All of the new regulations are on par with requirements elsewhere. Furthermore, Folly also would set a good example as the first sea island to have a marshfront management plan. Significantly, the new regulations should help improve the city’s flood rating and lower insurance rates.
Ms. Wetmore says the package is a “once-in-generation” chance to put into place a “progressive” management plan that strikes a fair balance between preservation and responsible development.
The extended moratorium is now set to expire in mid-February, and City Council is expected to start adopting the new ordinances from March through April.
Emily Cedzo of the Coastal Conservation League said her organization agrees with the direction the city is headed, and that the 40-foot dune management area proposed went above and beyond some state regulations. Some issues could lead to litigation – for example, a septic tank permit issued by the Department of Health and Environmental Control for a super-beachfront lot and regulations aimed at stopping super-beachfront developments – but she said most residents and groups such as Save Folly Beach support the city’s efforts. As they should.
Keeping houses off the beach and dunes, and keeping sewage out of the surf, isn’t too much to ask.
Since declaring a six-month moratorium on waterfront developments in June, Folly Beach has come a long way toward what could become one of the state’s most forward-looking policies for regulating development and preserving beaches and marshes.
The timing is right. Folly’s City Council is expected to vote on a final set of recommendations in November, about the time beach renourishment wraps up and the moratorium expires.
Residents and council members should embrace the proposed changes meant to keep new construction off the beach and out of harm’s way.
A package of draft ordinances covers “super-beachfront” lots, septic tanks, dune protection, seawalls, marshfront developments and the future development of marsh islands, among other issues.
The Edge of America has long been exempted from important parts of state beachfront management law due to the Charleston Harbor jetties blocking the flow of sand that would normally accrete on Folly. That left the city with a mishmash of sometimes competing regulations and legal struggles over such things as super-beachfront lots, properties platted years ago and again becoming technically buildable due to renourishment.
Instead of trying to manage beachfront development from a single line of dunes, the planning staff wants to set up a “dune management area” at least 20 feet wide, compared to current setbacks of as little as 5-10 feet. No above-ground structures would be allowed seaward of the dune area. Only sand fencing, plantings, walkovers and seawalls would be allowed. Seawalls would have to be buried, filled to match the existing beach and planted with native shrubs or grasses. That’s the right approach.
Another ordinance would require the removal of any structure undercut by beach erosion and apply to new building permits. In other words, if the surf is lapping under your home, it has to go. No one wants homes obstructing the beach.
New septic tanks would have to be buried farther inland, and existing ones would be more closely monitored. In some cases, regular pump-outs would be required. Homes with overwashed septic tanks would be “shut down” until the system could be moved to higher ground.
Folly resident Matt Napier, who has followed the planning process closely, said the city was “playing catch-up” to some degree. Still, he was optimistic it was on the right path. Just one building permit was issued for a super-beachfront lot before the moratorium took effect, he said.
The marshfront plan, designed primarily to guard against sea level rise, is believed to be first of its kind in the state. It would require all new homes to be built at least 2 feet above the base flood elevation, instead of the current 1 foot. That should help improve the city’s flood rating and reduce insurance costs.
Marshfront setbacks would be increased from 10 to 20 feet and have to be planted to help filter runoff. Docks and seawalls would be regulated based on new standards being developed by the state Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.
A set of outdoor lighting requirements would help reduce light pollution along the Folly River. There’s also a plan for phasing out any signs erected in marshes and coordinating with Charleston County for the future development of marsh islands. Those are all good ideas.
Planning Director Aaron Pope was hopeful most of the recommendations would be approved. Compared to 20 years ago, he said, residents were more receptive to proposals aimed at restricting development.
Folly’s planning staff deserves high marks for making good use of the pause to come up with a balanced plan for protecting the island from storms, sea level rise and foolhardy development. City Council should codify the entire package.
Known by locals as the “Edge of America,” Folly Beach, South Carolina, is a small barrier island with 2,400 residents and countless year-round visitors. “Being a barrier island means we deal with flooding on a weekly basis—flooding from high tides, rain, drainage, and storms,” says Eric Lutz, the city’s floodplain manager. A few years back the city made the critical decision to conserve a large portion of its natural resources to help reduce flood impacts.
“Almost every municipality can use zoning to help make their communities safer from coastal hazards,” says Spencer Wetmore, Folly Beach’s city administrator. Folly Beach conserved its marshes and beachfronts, which in turn helped reduce storm surge and other flooding impacts. This forward-thinking decision to conserve the marsh, among other flood preparedness activities, is paying off in a big way.
FEMA’s Community Rating System provides discounts on flood insurance for taking steps to reduce flooding and its impacts by implementing standards beyond the minimums of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). As of May 2018, Folly Beach is a Community Rating System class 4 community. This equates to a 30-percent reduction in premiums for each flood insurance policy. The city is now saving $1,041,103 annually on the cost of flood insurance for its policyholders—or an average of $652 per policy, which is twice the savings per flood insurance policy as before. Before becoming a rating system class 4, Folly Beach was a class 7, which equated to a savings for the city of $520,552 annually, or an average of $326 per flood insurance policy.
“Luckily we have an eco-minded community that wants to protect its natural resources and its sense of place. What’s great about this [conservation] is that it also protects us against flooding impacts,” says Spencer.
Lessons Learned
Use terms that resonate with people. Focus on “flooding” instead of “climate change” or “sea level rise.” For instance, “We know flooding is a critical problem that needs solutions now,” and “We have to address flooding, whether the sea rises one, two, or three feet over the next 100 years.”
Make the commitment to do flood mitigation and keep going. The city’s success hasn’t happened overnight. They committed to protecting the community through flood mitigation, which is also helping to protect Folly Beach’s sense of place.
Hire a professional to help with the Community Rating System documentation. Having someone who knows the ins and outs of the program and exactly which documentation is needed is well worth the investment.
Use land use zoning. Almost every municipality can use zoning to help make their neighborhoods safer from coastal hazards.
The Process
Folly Beach did the work, but it needed to put an application package together for the Insurance Services Office, Inc. specialist for South Carolina in order to get the Community Rating System credits. The system’s process requires specific and detailed documentation to support receiving credit for each activity. To help with the documentation, they hired David Stroud, a certified floodplain manager with the Wood Group, who has worked extensively with the Community Rating System program.
Eric Lutz, the city’s floodplain manager, had met David a few years back at a conference. Eric mentioned that they wanted to improve their rating, and David asked, “How far do you want to go and what do you want to achieve?” David guided the city through the mapping and documentation process. He reviewed each current Community Rating System activity the city was implementing, and how each had changed from the 2007 Coordinator’s Manual (the document that guides a community’s application into the program) to the 2017 Coordinator’s Manual. He also identified which documentation needed to change to meet the requirements, and what additional activities—or elements within existing activities—could be added to gain more credits.
The objective was to undertake activities that the city was already implementing or could easily implement. In addition to the points for a class 4, the city also had to meet the class 4 prerequisites. View prerequisites list.
“My role is to help the city maximize their efforts and get the most credits,” David says, “and it comes down to having the exact documents needed by the Insurance Services Office, which verifies a community’s Community Rating System program for FEMA. The city is great to work with. They are hard workers and have put forth the effort to get to this Community Rating System class.”
Folly Beach officials initially aimed to be a Community Rating System class 6, but in the end, they got to a class 4, which equates to a 30-percent reduction in premiums for each flood insurance policy. The city is now saving $1,041,103 annually on the cost of flood insurance for its policyholders, or an average of $652 per policy. Folly Beach is a great example of how mitigation pays off; a new study on the value of mitigation by the National Institute of Building Sciences reports that for every $1 spent on mitigation, a community can save $6 in future disaster costs and up to $7 for flooding. Folly Beach is leading by example.
Folly Beach’s Nature-Based Community Rating System ActivitiesFolly Beach is using Community Rating System Activity 420–Open Space Preservation to obtain credits. Folly Beach has already zoned land as open space. This means new development is limited to boat docks and other similar uses. Folly Beach received 882 points of credit for conserving marshland, beach frontage, and the county parks. This means that 63 percent of the special flood hazard area is open space. The maximum credit for Open Space Preservation is 1,450 points.
The city is also getting credit under Community Rating System Activity 420c–Natural Functions Open Space. “We worked with South Carolina Office for Ocean and Coastal Resource Management to certify that the marsh was providing natural floodplain functions like absorbing water, habitat for loggerhead sea turtle nesting, and buffering waves,” says Eric. As a result, Folly Beach received 132 points for this activity. The maximum credit for Natural Functions Open Space is 350 points.
The combination of Open Space Preservation and Natural Functions Open Space credits provided 1,014 points for Activity 420 before the Community Growth Adjustment Factor—a growth value applied to all 400 series activities. Conservation zoning and protecting marshlands helped the city achieve its lower Community Rating System classification.
Folly Beach’s Community Rating System Activities to Achieve a Class 4
Other Flood Mitigation ActivitiesThe city took advantage of the 300 series activity–Public Information Activities (Education and Outreach), other 400 series activities (Higher Regulatory Standards), and 500 series activities (Flood Damage Reduction). (See the table of activities at the end of this report for more details.)
Folly Beach also benefits from flood reduction activities that Charleston County is already getting credits for under the Community Rating System. Folly Beach operates under Charleston County stormwater and its MS4 program (municipal separate storm sewer systems), and benefits from the countywide stormwater management plan and regulations, the countywide hazard mitigation plan, and the county Flood Warning and Response program. These activities helped the city meet the required points and program prerequisites. Charleston County is a class 4 Community Rating System community as well.
The city also has an ordinance that limits the amount of pavement used in driveways to decrease stormwater runoff, and an ordinance that all new and/or substantially improved critical development be elevated to the 500-year (0.2 percent annual chance) flood elevation, or the highest known historical flood elevation. Residents are tuned in to the dangers and are supportive of floodplain management actions. “We get more questions now about why we are not doing more,” says Eric.
Additionally, to help limit future development in high-risk areas, the city works closely with the South Carolina Office for Ocean and Coastal Resource Management on development setbacks. Spencer says they “do a good job with the critical line (setback), and we look to them to lead us on their setbacks.” The city has a moratorium on building within 20 feet of the state’s critical line on the beach and marsh.
Next Steps
In 2017, the city, with help from its planning commission, conducted a study to assess the impacts of both current and future flooding. The study identified three priorities: a drainage study, a marsh management plan, and a septic tank assessment. The study helped the council and residents realize the urgency to prioritize and fund the drainage study. Folly Beach will continue to focus on the marsh management plan and new ordinances related to setbacks and buffers.
Table Source: FEMA Community Information System, May 2018. The table shows dollar savings in flood insurance premium reductions for various Community Rating System classes.
Officials on Folly Beach are preparing for impacts from Hurricane Michael while still recovering from sand loss due to Hurricane Florence.
Although Folly Beach dodged bad weather conditions from Hurricane Florence, a portion of the beach suffered from a loss of sand.
“The sand served its purpose,” Folly Beach City Administrator Spencer Wetmore said. “We sacrificed sand, but didn’t have property losses.”
Sand loss from Florence came during a $10 million beach renourishment project, which is targeted at replacing sand lost on Folly Beach during Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Irma.
That renourishment project was originally supposed to put more than 700,000 cubic yards of sand back on the beach.
Florence washed some of that replacement sand away.
On Monday, Folly Beach officials announced the crew behind the renourishment project agreed to replace sand lost during Florence while they continue to replace sand lost during Matthew and Irma.
“So we actually were able to put back all of the sand we lost during Florence,” Wetmore said. “It wasn’t a lot, about a quarter of what we put in that area.”
As another storm threatens South Carolina, all eyes on Folly are on the beach.
“Definitely. It’s a worry for how it’s going to affect the landscape of everything,” Johns Island resident Maggie Fitzgerald said. “Hopefully, by the time it makes landfall, it won’t be too hard and we’ll just get a lot of rain.”
Officials on Folly Beach said the same option of replacing new lost sand may not be possible for Hurricane Michael.
“We’d be on a fourth chance at this point in terms of extending or modifying the contract,” Wetmore said. “I don’t know if that would be an option. We’re going to have to hope for the best on that one.”
Officials on Folly Beach said they have not distributed sand bags.
For now, city officials are just encouraging people to watch the weather and remain cautious.
“They’ll have the hands on it. I’m not worried about it,” Folly Beach resident Regina Smith said. “They’ll keep Folly safe and beautiful, and we’ll be fine.”
