Understanding and Communicating Flood Resilience

Horry County,SC
Horry County is a large coastal county in South Carolina containing the economically important tourist area centered around Myrtle Beach. It is located at the ocean outfall of the PeeDee/Waccamaw River Basin that crosses three states. The topography is dominated by rivers Primary economic drivers are tourism, development and agriculture/forestry Population projected to double to over 500,000 persons by 2040. Horry County had an extremely robust set of development regulations intended to reduce stormwater problems associated with new subdivisions and commercial development. These regulations addressed stormwater quantity impacts from new developments, but why was the county still suffering through massive flooding events?