In Excess of $18 Million of Assistance Approved; Deadline for Application Draws Near 

Release Date: November 12, 1999
Release Number: 1299-41

» More Information on South Carolina Hurricane Floyd

Note to Editors: 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.

In excess of $18 million in disaster assistance grants and low-interest loans have already been approved for more than a third of the 14,500 plus South Carolina residents in the 11 declared counties who have applied for disaster assistance.

Disaster housing assistance grants, totaling almost $6,591,780 for more than 5558 applicants, covers temporary rental assistance or emergency home repair that makes the dwelling safe and habitable. A total of $2,167,018 also has been approved for almost 1,237 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 $9,323,200 in low-interest disaster loans for 353 homeowners, who received $6,922,900, 55 businesses that received

$1,344,500 and 61 Economic Injury Disaster Loans in the amount of $1,055,800. Out of more than 5,596 loan applications issued, SBA officials have had only 1,162 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.

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 1,097 379 $331,703 51 $44,432
Charleston 3,047 950 $1,011,735 345 $569,247
Colleton 540 248 $244,516 35 $32,871
Dillon 140 36 $30,179 3 $5,292
Dorchester 217 51 $43,147 4 $4,160
Florence 272 89 $52,394 5 $2,332
Georgetown 1,875 705 $662,618 193 $183,127
Horry 4,915 2,190 $2,868,189 444 $1,018,943
Marion 186 49 $49,831 9 $5,057
Bangeburg 456 146 $98,247 12 $18,947
Williamsburg 1,543 715 $1,119,222 136 $282,610
Total 14,288 5558 $6,511,781 1273 $2,167,018

A county-by-county breakdown of Individual Assistance applications, approved housing dollars, approved IFG applications and approved IFG dollars.

Crisis Counseling 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 schools visits.

FEMA awarded almost a $100,000 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.

"As the Holidays grow near, dealing with the aftermath of the disaster becomes increasingly difficult," said Federal Coordinating Officer Larry Bailey. "Feeling overwhelmed, even depressed is common and during the Holiday season that feeling of helplessness increases. People need to know that acknowledging these feelings is the first step toward feeling better, and that assistance is available in their communities. "

Mental health experts say that disaster-related stress may surface days or even months following the event, and can affect children as well as adults. The most common symptoms of stress include irritability, anger, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleeplessness, nightmares, sadness, depression, headaches, nausea, hyperactivity, lack of concentration, and increased alcohol and drug abuse.

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 urging 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 must begin the disaster application process 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., seven days a week, until further notice.

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 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week, 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 13:50:37