GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Residents in Georgetown County now have an app that allows easy access to floodplain information specific to their individual property, officials said in Facebook post.

The county is using a floodplain management platform called Forerunner to help connect residents with important information about their properties and new flood insurance rate maps that went into effect this spring, the county said.  

“This will help to significantly streamline the county’s flood risk management efforts and provide potentially life- and property-saving information and resources for our residents,” said Steven Elliott, a county building official.  

The platform delivers actionable, property-level flood risk information, the county said. Residents and businesses can view new flood insurance rate maps and compare them with the old ones, and they are able to see any floodplain warnings for their property and view elevation certificates where available.

County employees will be working to add more elevation certificates to the platform on a regular basis, according to the post.

The county said the app will make it easier for homeowners, businesses, contractors, insurance agents, realtors, and others to learn about the building and insurance compliance requirements associated with each individual property.

It will also give residents real-time access to flooding data during a storm, as well as resources to submit damage claims quickly and easily, the city said.

“In addition to clear benefits for residents,” Elliott said. “This new public resource will also help the county to streamline floodplain management, compliance and outreach. That has the added benefit of helping improve the county’s Community Rating System score, which has a direct impact on flood insurance rates.”

Members of the county’s Planning and Building Department are actively engaging with special interest groups, including insurance agents and realtors, to ensure that the public gets widespread access to and knowledge of this new resource, the post said.

Residents can access the Forerunner app at https://georgetowncountysc.withforerunner.com/.