COLUMBIA, S.C. — In 2015, homes that line Glenhaven and Timberland drive were filled with water. The historic flood damaged many of these homes, forcing many people to leave their lives behind.
Four years later, Richland County has taken control over these destroyed, abandoned houses.
Today began their demolition process.
Ed Byran lives a few streets down from the site. He often walks by the homes that once housed his friends and neighbors. Now, his view is changing before his eyes.
"Watching this neighborhood down below me disappear is truly upsetting," he said. "Somehow, this neighborhood is being forced to take a burden that it should not."
Bryan says most of the people forced out were the ones that built their homes and had lived there for years.
"Some of the folks were just too old to deal with it. The house that is coming down now, the man was in his 80's. He used to have one of the prettiest gardens in town," Bryan said.
News 19 spoke with Richland County's Local Disaster Recovery Manager, Michael King, about the demolition process. He says the county received funding from FEMA and HUD to send out the crews.
King says there are 54 properties around Richland County being demolished. During this, the goal is to return each site to its "naturalized state." To qualify under this program, King says a property must have more than 51% substantial damage and is located in a hazardous flood zone.
The County hopes to have the all properties within the project demolished by the end of April 2020.