Public, Local Officials Invited to Attend Meetings to Provide Input for Disaster Prevention 

Release Date: October 29, 1999
Release Number: 1299-35

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COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The public and local officials are invited to attend one of two meetings scheduled for next week to provide their personal input into the State's plan to reduce future disaster risks, federal and state disaster recovery officials announced today.

The meetings, administered by the state's Interagency Coordinating Committee (ICC), will provide the public an opportunity to discuss priorities for mitigation opportunities available to South Carolina as a result of Hurricane Floyd.  Initial estimates indicate that more than $5 million in federal funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be available on a cost-share basis for approved community projects to reduce future disaster risks.

Conway will be the site of the first meeting on Thursday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m., at the Conway City Hall (Council Chambers) located at 1001 Third Ave.  The second meeting will be held on Friday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m. in North Charleston at Strett Hall Building Auditorium, 1530 Seventh Street at Hobson Ave. on the old Charleston Navy Base.

"These meetings will give people and local officials in the area a chance to indicate which priorities are most important to them," State Coordinating Officer and ICC Chairman Stan McKinney said.  "The input will play an important role in refining the state's mitigation strategy and may help to shape mitigation outcomes."

FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP) will cover 75 percent of the total costs of approved mitigation projects, and the South Carolina Emergency Preparedness Division administers the program.  The total amount available for the HMGP equals 15 percent of federal funds spent on the Infrastructure and Individual Assistance Programs in South Carolina following President Clinton's major disaster declaration on September 21.

The ICC is comprised of representatives from the Governor's Office and four state agencies.  The purpose of the committee is coordinate disaster mitigation efforts

Last Modified: Wednesday, 03-Dec-2003 14:47:06