ISLE OF PALMS S.C. (WCBD) – Isle of Palm City Council hosted an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss ways to mitigate breach erosion.

Leaders gathered inside council chambers to discuss breach erosion and how high tides are impacting the coastal community and listened to residents’ issues with erosion and what it meant for their properties.

City leaders discussed the use of sandbags being distributed in areas impacted by high tides and provided residents temporary approval for 12 weeks of sandbag assistance.

Council members said this temporary assistance could help residents protect their properties until the Army Corps of the Engineers program starts in early January.

City councilman Blair Hahn said this project the Corps of Engineers are starting will benefit residents for future high tides that occur.

“The Corps of Engineers will dredge Breach Inlet so that the swinging back and forth is lessened if not eliminated quickly. Of course, it will come back at some point in time, but by dredging and deepening the channel to reach the inlet, it channels all of that title water back and forth in a straight line until nature decides to change it,” said Hahn.

Residents can expect the project to be completed in the summer of next year.