Hurricane Florence’s wrath in 2018 made it painfully clear that families losing everything to flood events was becoming the new normal, particularly in rapidly growing Horry County, SC. The sixth flood event in six years, Florence’s record-breaking storm surge of 9-13 feet and devastating rainfall of 20-30 inches produced disastrous and life-threatening flooding. In the small town of Conway, over 400 residents had flooded homes and across Horry County 4,000 families suffered. In Florence’s wake, Horry County Rising was born. Its mission is to prevent catastrophic damages by informing, educating, and advocating to elected and appointed officials the need to mitigate flooding, propel smart growth, stop building in high-risk flood zones, and improve quality of life for Horry County families – present and future. Having successfully made flooding a top political issue, HCR works to hold elected officials accountable to the needs of the community and endorses candidates who share their values.
Horry County Rising was founded by April O’Leary in Conway, a historic town on the Waccamaw River. When Florence pushed the river to crest at 21.16 feet, 12+ feet above normal, she and her family were flooded out of their home – a home that had never flooded. Despite having flood insurance, O’Leary and her family lost all their savings, but they were not alone. Horry County communities had over $100 million in flood damages; 30% of those affected did not receive any aid from FEMA or National Flood Insurance Program. That’s when O’Leary rallied her neighbors and HCR became a powerful voice for Horry County residents. From government meetings to community forums, they work to influence development plans and demand more protective flood protection measures. In fact, their work has brought about the strongest flood protection laws for new construction in South Carolina. Due to HCR’s efforts, Horry County appointed O’Leary to work on a comprehensive flood resiliency plan, addressing smarter building codes, investments for drainage basin studies, and buffers to protect the county’s wetlands and floodplain.
Horry County Rising Community Activitism.