On Aug. 11, Chatham County commissioners took a bold step to confront climate change head on.
The board voted to submit an application to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to create a countywide Climate Resilience Adaptation Program. If approved, the county would receive $33 million in NOAA grant funding without requiring any matching public funds.
Jackie Jackson, resiliency program administrator for Chatham County, said the funds will help homeowners battle the affects of climate change including extreme heat, severe wind and increased flooding ― especially during storm events. “We’re looking at roofs, windows and cool paving, trees because of heat mitigation. Instead of looking at flooding for the whole community, we want to get it down to that residential level. We really want to get into the actionable type of projects, not just planning. Let’s make a difference and help homeowners.”
Credit: Courtesy of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
Credit: Courtesy of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia
The funding cycle for the NOAA Climate Resilience Regional Challenge opens next week. Full applications are due in February 2024, and funding for up to 15 coastal community applicants will be award over a five-year period.
Fire hydrant emergency
Friday's county commission meeting also revealed a crucial issue that could put the ability to fight fires at risk. In unincorporated communities, approximately 100 fire hydrants are nonfunctional. Chatham Emergency Services Chief James Vickers said some of the hydrants are filled with dirt, stems are broken or they are not properly lubricated.
“We do inspections every year,” said Vickers. “We flush them, as well as what we call flow testing and that tells us what the pressure is. From there, we put that into our database.”
According to Vickers, no one has been seriously injured due to lack of access to a fire hydrant. In fact, if one is found to be nonfunctional, firefighters will go to the next nearest fire hydrant, which is typically not too far away. Still, the damage done while waiting on the water supply could be significant.
Credit: Provided by Chatham Emergency Services
Credit: Provided by Chatham Emergency Services
“Every minute counts,” said Vickers. “If you have to use a different hydrant, that could cause even more damage to homes or properties because of how fast the fire can spread.”
In a worst-case scenario, the department would have to rely on a river, creek or even a swimming pool to draw water. Phil Koster, chief operations officer for Chatham Emergency Services, said the situation is not ideal.
“You can draw from a creek or river but it must have static water,” said Koster. “Swimming pools go dry quickly and I’m sure people would not appreciate having a multi-ton truck in their backyard. Also, what happens if the homeowner has drained the pool?”
Koster plans to submit a list of the hydrants that cannot be used to commissioners. No timetable was given for their repair.
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached at lwilliams6@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Chatham County Commission approves applying for $33 million NOAA climate resilience grant
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