In Excess Of $21 Million Of Assistance Approved; Deadline For Application Today
Release Date: November 18, 1999
Release Number: 1299-42
» More Information on South Carolina Hurricane Floyd
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Federal and state agencies are working in partnership to help South Carolina residents following Hurricane Floyd and subsequent flooding. The following is a summary of ongoing response and recovery efforts since the presidential declaration of September 21. Please note also that the Disaster Field Of ice in Columbia is closing and all inquiries of FEMA should be directed to 919-431-8601.
In excess of $21 million in disaster assistance grants and low-interest loans have already been approved for more than a third of the 15,500 plus South Carolina residents in the 11 declared counties who have applied for disaster assistance.
To date, Disaster housing assistance grants, totaling $7,254,966 for 6012 applicants, covers temporary rental assistance or emergency home repair that makes the dwelling safe and habitable. A total of $2,726,094 also has been approved 1,542 who will receive Individual and Family Grant (IFG) funds for serious, unmet needs that are not covered by other programs.
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has approved $11,153,700 in low-interest disaster loans for 416 homeowners, who received $8,013,600, businesses that received $1,492,800 and 72 Economic Injury Disaster Loans in the amount of $1,647,300. Out of more than 5,971 loan applications issued, SBA officials have had only 1,406 applications returned. These loan officials urge people who received application packets when they applied for assistance to get those completed documents back to the SBA as soon as possible, as the deadline is fast approaching.
If the loan application is not completed and returned, it may affect other forms of disaster assistance. Friday, November 19 is the deadline to call and apply for disaster assistance.
The SBA is the primary source of federal funds for long-term disaster recovery for owners of private property, including homeowners, renters, landlords, non-farm businesses of all sizes and private nonprofit organizations. These low-interest loans cover costs of repair or replacement of damaged real estate, personal property and business assets not fully covered by insurance or other aid.
| County | Apps. | Apps. Approved | Housing Grants | IFG Approved | IFG Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkeley | 1,228 | 463 | $430,609 | 64 | $59,574 |
| Charleston | 3,231 | 1,060 | $1,117,727 | 397 | $657,933 |
| Colleton | 583 | 287 | $271,182 | 48 | $45,434 |
| Dillon | 148 | 47 | $53,861 | 12 | $14,973 |
| Dorchester | 238 | 71 | $60,623 | 8 | $11,248 |
| Florence | 324 | 111 | $66,070 | 9 | $7,295 |
| Georgetown | 1,945 | 749 | $709,036 | 224 | $212,401 |
| Horry | 5,102 | 2,151 | $3,021,660 | 554 | $1,298,171 |
| Marion | 202 | 64 | $64,550 | 11 | $6,212 |
| Orangeburg | 546 | 205 | $151,149 | 24 | $37,458 |
| Williamsburg | 1,711 | 804 | $1,308,499 | 191 | $375,395 |
| Total | 15,258 | 6012 | $7,254,966 | 1542 | $2,726,094 |
A county-by-county breakdown of Individual Assistance applications, approved housing dollars, approved IFG applications and approved IFG dollars.
Crisis Counseling Continues to be Available for Disaster Applicants
Some 7,000 South Carolina residents have already received some form of crisis counseling services from the State Department of Mental Health (DMH). In addition to counseling, DMH personnel are providing referral services and several outreach programs, including school visits.
FEMA awarded almost $100,000,as a grant to the State to provide crisis-counseling services to residents of Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Georgetown, Horry, Marion and Williamsburg counties in response to the hardships created by Hurricane Floyd.
Eligible residents are encouraged to call the following 24-hour emergency mental health county numbers: Berkeley - 1-888-202-1381; Charleston - 1-843-727-2000; Horry -1-843-347-4888; Colleton - 1-800-922-7844; Georgetown -1-843-546-6107; Marion - 1-843-1100, and Williamsburg - 1-843-354-5456 (or 5453).
Deadline for Debris Removal in Horry County
Officials in Horry County are continuing to urge residents to place all flood related debris curbside before the December 5 deadline, for pick-up by the US Army Corps of Engineers. The debris should be separated into two sections, debris and hazardous household wastes. There will be continuous pick-up service prior to the deadline.
Apply for Disaster Assistance By Telephone
Residents and business owners in the declared counties who sustained storm or flood-related damage or loss between September 14 and 30 are reminded to begin the disaster application process, prior to the November 19th deadline, by calling toll-free 1 800-462-9029 or 1 800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. Phone lines are available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., through the deadline.
The deadline to call and apply for disaster assistance is Friday, November 19.
FEMA Application Updates Only a Phone Call Away
People living in declared counties who have applied for assistance by calling FEMA's toll-free number can access or augment their application with another toll-free call. Applicants who want to update information or check on the status of their application can call FEMA's toll-free Helpline at 1 800-525-0321 or TTY 1-800-660-8005 for the speech and hearing impaired. The numbers are open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, until further notice. There have been in excess of 20,000 Helpline calls from South Carolina disaster survivors following Hurricane Floyd.
Last Modified: Wednesday, 03-Dec-2003 13:46:15