Just Over Two Weeks Left to Apply; Almost $14 Million Approved for Assistance 

Release Date: November 2, 1999
Release Number: 1299-37

» More Information on South Carolina Hurricane Floyd

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Residents and business owners have just over two weeks left to apply for disaster assistance if they sustained storm or flood-related damage or loss in a declared county between September 14 and 30. The deadline to call and apply for disaster assistance is Friday, November 19.

The application process begins with a single, toll-free call to 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.

People who have already called to apply can receive assistance with low-interest loan applications or have their specific recovery questions answered by visiting one of the SBA Workshops. One is located at the Conway Senior Community Center at 1519 Mill Pond Rd. and the other at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center at 2101 North Oak St. There is also a FEMA specialist available at the Conway location to check on the status of individual applications. Both workshops are open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, until further notice.

* More Than $14 Million Approved for Disaster Assistance

More than $14 million in disaster assistance grants and low-interest loans have already been approved for more than a third of the 13,000 plus South Carolina residents in the 11 declared counties who have applied for disaster assistance. (See county breakdown on Page 3)

Disaster housing assistance grants, totaling almost $5,920,409 for more than 5,000 applicants, covers temporary rental assistance or emergency home repair that makes the dwelling safe and livable. A total of $1,691,563 also has been approved for almost 1,000 applicants 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 $6,526,300 in low-interest disaster loans for 263 homeowners, who have received $5,452,700, and 72 business owners, who have received $1,073,600.

Loan officials urge people who received SBA application packets to complete those papers and return them as soon as possible. If the loan application is not completed and returned, it may affect other forms of disaster assistance. If a renter or homeowner is not eligible for a loan, for whatever reason, they will be automatically referred to the IFG Program.

* Crisis Counseling Available for Disaster Applicants

More than 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 a grant of almost $100,000 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.

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).

* Orangeburg County Selected as Project Impact Community

Governor Jim Hodges announced Saturday that South Carolina will expand its partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the effort to prevent damage and loss of life caused by natural disasters in Orangeburg County. The county joins nearly 200 communities to be part of FEMA's nationwide initiative, Project Impact: Building Disaster Resistant Communities.

"Orangeburg County was asked to participate as a Project Impact community because of its support of disaster prevention actions in order to reduce its disaster potential," Governor Hodges said. "In addition, it was also chosen for its existing network of private and public-sector partnerships.

The Midlands County is the third community in South Carolina invited to participate in Project Impact. Charleston County and the City of Florence were designated previously. The South Carolina Emergency Preparedness Division (SCEPD) will work with FEMA, Orangeburg County, and its local public and private partners to implement new strategies to reduce the impact of disasters.

Project Impact is a national disaster-prevention initiative developed in partnership with states and FEMA, encouraging communities to assess their risks from natural hazards and to implement strategies and actions that will limit damage before disaster strikes again.

* Application Status or Updates Only a Free Phone Call Away

Disaster assistance is still only a free phone call away for thousands of applicants in South Carolina. The toll-free FEMA Helpline is available to answer your recovery questions, check on the status of your application, or you can update application information. The Helpline number is 1 800-525-0321 or 1-800-660-8005 (TTY) 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.

County Apps. Apps. Approved Housing Grants IFG Approved IFG Grants
Berkeley 967 316 $261,495 36 $29,333
Charleston 2,857 877 $933,353 288 $487,577
Colleton 472 206 $218,298 22 $24,438
Dillon 127 33 $26,102 * $4,542
Dorchester 197 43 $35,365 * $4,160
Florence 226 74 $42,750 * $957
Georgetown 1,809 660 $613,088 174 $161,788
Horry 4,708 2,067 $2,682,804 322 $774,917
Marion 170 41 $36,377 6 $3,883
Orangeburg 370 125 $80,832 5 $5,782
Williamsburg 1,338 590 $989,945 103 $194,186
Total 13,241 5,032 $5,920,409 *965 $1,691,563

A county-by-county breakdown of assistance applications, approved housing dollars, approved IFG applications and approved IFG dollars. Note - Where five or fewer IFG applications have been approved the number is not given (*) to protect the applicants' confidentiality.

Last Modified: Wednesday, 03-Dec-2003 13:56:41