Pine Glen residents await word on what’s next

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IRMO, S.C. (WOLO) — More than two weeks have passed since historic flooding and Irmo residents are out of the flood waters, but there’s a long road to recovery ahead. Community members came out to get their questions answered at a meeting Tuesday night at Seven Oaks Park Gym in Columbia. Getting registered with FEMA is the first step. Most attendees have already done that. The confusion lies with the process of figuring out whether one can rebuild, and at what specifications. Currently, county employees are assessing houses in the floodplain to determine whether the damage is substantial. If they’ve been to your house, and deemed it “substantially damaged,” you’ll see a red flier on your door. Through assessment and calculation, they’ve determined the damage equals or exceeds the building’s market value. That means you need to tear it down, or rebuild to meet current floodplain requirements; the house must be two feet or more above the flood line.