Richland County’s Blue Ribbon Committee has scheduled its next five meetings for discussing flood recovery initiatives and making recommendations on behalf of those affected by the October 2015 flood.

The Blue Ribbon Committee has met nine times since it was formed in early 2016. It is comprised of local residents, businesses owners, municipal officials, community organizations and other stakeholder groups affected by the flood who aim to prioritize flood recovery projects and present recommendations for County Council’s consideration.

All Blue Ribbon Committee meetings are from 2 p.m.- 4 p.m. in the fourth floor conference room of the Richland County Administration Building at 2020 Hampton St., Columbia (except where noted), and meetings are open to the public, though seating is limited. The next five meetings will be held:

·         July 28

·         Sept. 1

·         Sept. 15 (location TBD)

·         Oct. 6 (location TBD)

·         Oct. 20

The Blue Ribbon Committee is one of several efforts the County has undertaken as it prepares its comprehensive flood recovery plan. County officials held four Flood Recovery Open Houses for residents in November, six Community Input and Recovery Project meetings in January and 10 Community Flood Recovery Meetings in June and July. Since Richland County was awarded a $23.5 million flood recovery grant from the federal government in March, County officials have pursued residents’ input about how to best spend the money on repair and rebuild projects, such as housing and infrastructure.

For more information about the Blue Ribbon Committee and ongoing flood recovery efforts, visit www.rcgov.us/floodrecovery or email recovery@rcgov.us. For help with unmet flood recovery needs, call the United Way information and referral phone line by dialing 2-1-1.