A bridge washed out on Cleo Chapman Highway near the town of Sunset. (Provided by Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative)
COLUMBIA — Residents in over half of South Carolina’s counties are eligible for some level of assistance through the Federal Emergency Management System in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene.
Gov. Henry McMaster announced Monday at a briefing on the storm that residents of 23 counties are eligible for individual FEMA assistance and 29 counties are eligible for FEMA assistance to local governments.
Four or five counties might still be added to the list, said Kim Stenson, state Emergency Management Division director. That would bring the total to almost three quarters of the state’s 46 counties.
The state is also launching a series of events where residents in storm-impacted counties can meet with a range of state and federal agencies for assistance with recovery. The first three, called Team South Carolina Days, will occur this week in the Upstate.
Brett Howard, federal coordinating officer for FEMA, said the agency has already approved over $57 million in aid following the storm. If residents apply and are turned down, he encouraged them not to give up, as issues could be as simple as a missing digit in a Social Security number.