Laurens County continues its remarkable bounce-back from the devastating damage of Hurricane Helene. County Council Chairman Brown Patterson said at the Nov. 11 meeting that a half million pounds of limbs and 400,000 pounds of construction debris had been collected and deposited with the county transfer station.
“We have a lot in this county to be thankful for,” he said, during the designated time for Laurens County Council members’ comments.
Meanwhile, 3 businesses have re-opened or announced re-opening plans for Musgrove Street in Clinton after a devastating fire this past summer. Hoyt Hanvey Jewelers and Family Eye Care have temporary quarters in the next block, and House of Pizza has purchased the Freshens building from Presbyterian College.
Full recovering from both prongs of the “double-whammy” will take several more months but, undeniably, progress is being made, and for that we can be thankful. Following is a look at just some Hurricane Helene recovery stories:
Presbyterian College was not spared from Hurricane Helene’s destructive rampage through the southeast on Sept. 27. Buildings were damaged. Trees and lives were uprooted. All of the advantages of modern technology were stripped away.
What could not be taken, however, was the inimitable PC Spirit – the overwhelming and compelling urge to respond to the needs of others and to meet a challenge head-on.
On Oct. 9, following an extended fall break, PC president Dr. Anita Gustafson welcomed students back to a changed campus. Dozens of the college’s stately oaks were gone. Several offices were temporarily relocated due to damage or safety concerns. Debris was still being cleared. But the Blue Hose were back – and the rhythm of classes and college events quickly resumed.
A lot happened, though, between the morning the storm hit and classes began again, Gustafson noted in an email to students, faculty, and staff.
“Over the past 13 days, I have witnessed what it means to be ‘True Blue’ from the dedication of so many on our campus who worked countless hours to get campus ready for us to begin classes today,” she wrote on Oct. 9. “It certainly takes a village to handle a challenge such as the damage that Helene caused to our campus.
“The day the storm hit, we quickly formed an operations team to address the safety of our students and the immediate needs of the campus. This was all the more challenging because communications were down, so we had to physically locate each other on campus and set specific times to meet in-person. We decided that our slogan needed to become ‘PC Pivot,’ since we needed to change plans more than once.”
The most immediate concern, of course, was the safety and welfare of students who resided on campus during the storm and during the break, including a number of student-athletes. Dean of student affairs Drew Peterson moved into Clinton Hall to be closer to students and he and his staff – along with campus police led by Chief Tony Eigner – provided constant protection and support throughout the crisis. Student affairs staff also led efforts to clean out refrigerators in residence halls since power was out for several days. Staff opened Springs Campus Center to students, as well, giving them a sense of community during the ordeal. Students never missed a warm meal following the storm. Director of auxiliary services Jason Koenig worked closely with AVI general manager Kirtley Baez and her staff to ensure students were fed. Koenig and his staff also got the college’s mailroom back in order so that deliveries could be made on time.
Undoubtedly, one of PC’s greatest challenges following the storm was restoring campus facilities to working order. Director of facility services Trent Roark and his crews worked tirelessly around the clock to address fallen trees, power lines, outages, and water damage, including damage to the Provost’s Office in Smith Administration Building. Budd Group employees also worked hard to restore the grounds, clean up debris, and make the campus safe again.
Information technology, led by director Kevin Crider, were able to get the college’s network up and running again once power was restored.
There were many other individuals and employees across campus who pitched in to bring campus back to a semblance of normalcy for students’ return on Oct. 9. But one of the most remarkable responses to Hurricane Helene was initiated by students themselves demonstrating their remarkable hearts of service.
Putting the college’s motto, “While We Live, We Serve,” into action, students were inspired to help others in the community and surrounding area. Many of PC’s athletic teams – volleyball, football, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis, baseball, and men’s and women’s wrestling – rolled up their sleeves to help people impacted by the storm.
Coordinating with the Chaplain’s Office, more than 200 students volunteered in the aftermath of Helene’s destruction. Students went to residences in Lydia Mills and to the campus of Thornwell to clean up. They cleaned up Pine Haven and Pine Street parks in the community. They helped move the Provost’s Office, and the Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion offices due to the damage in Smith. Individual students also gathered supplies and offered their help to areas outside Laurens County impacted by the vicious storm.
In all, the college’s response to Hurricane Helene was, as Gustafson put it, a “True Blue” moment for PC.
South Carolina State Fair Donates $200,000 for Hurricane Helene Relief
Contributions to assist recovery and rebuilding in impacted areas
Columbia – The South Carolina State Fair, a self-supporting 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is pleased to announce a donation of $200,000 to support recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene. The donation, approved by the fair’s executive committee, will be divided equally among four organizations actively involved in disaster relief and recovery efforts.
The following organizations will each receive $50,000 to aid their work in the hardest-hit areas of South Carolina:
•The Salvation Army of Greenville, Pickens and Oconee Counties
•The Salvation Army of Spartanburg
•The Salvation Army of Aiken
•Samaritan’s Purse
“Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented destruction to many communities across our state,” says Nancy Smith, general manager of the South Carolina State Fair. “Our hearts go out to those who lost loved ones, homes and livelihoods. As a community-centered organization, we are honored to support the vital recovery work being done by these organizations and hope these donations will make a meaningful difference in helping people rebuild their lives.”
The donations will provide essential support for ongoing recovery efforts, ensuring that critical aid continues to reach those impacted by the hurricane. The S.C. State Fair remains dedicated to its role as a community partner, supporting our neighbors as they work to rebuild their lives and restore their communities.
USDA Announces Approval of D-SNAP for South Carolina Disaster Areas
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that people recovering from Hurricane Helene may be eligible for food assistance through USDA’s Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (D-SNAP). Approximately 357,291 households in 28 South Carolina counties and one Tribe are estimated to be eligible for this relief to help with grocery expenses.
Through this program, which USDA makes available through states in the aftermath of disasters, people who may not be eligible for SNAP in normal circumstances can participate if they meet specific criteria, including disaster income limits and qualifying disaster-related expenses.
USDA recently announced that residents in parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee may be eligible for D-SNAP. Today, USDA is also announcing that four more counties in Florida - Desoto, Flagler, Lake, and Polk - are now eligible, bringing the total area where D-SNAP is offered to 144 eligible counties and two Tribes across the states impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. USDA continues to work with states to offer D-SNAP to their residents.
South Carolina will operate its virtual and in-person D-SNAP application period Dec. 2 through Dec. 13, 2024. Eligible areas include the counties of Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York and the Catawba Indian Reservation. South Carolina will share additional information about D-SNAP application dates and locations through local media.
How to Apply for D-SNAP
To be eligible for D-SNAP, a household must live in an identified disaster area, have been affected by the disaster, and meet certain D-SNAP eligibility criteria. Eligible households will receive one month of benefits – equal to the maximum monthly amount for a SNAP household of their size – that they can use to purchase groceries at SNAP-authorized stores or from select retailers online to meet their temporary food needs as they settle back home following the disaster. For more information about South Carolina SNAP, visit South Carolina’s Department of Social Services. For more information about this and other available aid, callers from South Carolina can dial 2-1-1.
The D-SNAP announcement is the latest in a battery of USDA actions taken to help South Carolina residents cope with Hurricane Helene and its aftermath, which also include:
•Approving waivers for the 10-day reporting requirement for food purchased with SNAP benefits lost due to power outages in the affected counties.
•Approving a mass replacements waiver for SNAP participants in affected counties, allowing households to receive replacement benefits lost due to power outages.
•Approving statewide waivers that provide administrative and operational flexibilities in multiple nutrition programs, including the National School Lunch Program and the Summer Food Service Program.
•Approving statewide waivers for the Maximum Monthly Allowance for WIC food packages I, II and III and the medical documentation requirement for WIC Food Packages I and II.
The timing of D-SNAP varies with the unique circumstances of each disaster, but always begins after commercial channels of food distribution have been restored and families are able to purchase and prepare food at home. Before operating a D-SNAP, a state must ensure that the proper public information, staffing, and resources are in place.
Although current SNAP households are not eligible for D-SNAP, USDA has also approved South Carolina to automatically issue supplemental SNAP benefits to current SNAP households in 27 counties (Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York) to bring their allotment up to the maximum amount for their household size if they don’t already receive that amount. SNAP households in Kershaw County may request supplemental benefits from their state SNAP agency.
Governor Henry McMaster Announces the Launch of Farm and Forest Recovery Resource Days
Calls on Congressional Delegation to Support $621 Million in Federal Emergency Relief for S.C. Agriculture Related Storm Damage
COLUMBIA – Governor Henry McMaster and Lieutenant Governor Pamela S. Evette announced the launch of Farm and Forest Recovery Resource Days, which will provide South Carolina’s farming and forestry communities affected by Hurricane Helene with a one-stop shop to learn about available assistance and services. Farm and Forest Recovery Resource Days took place in Aiken on Friday, November 15, Greenville on Thursday, November 21, and will take place in Myrtle Beach on Friday, December 6.
Damage assessments completed by the S.C. Department of Agriculture and S.C. Forestry Commission estimate the total financial damage to South Carolina’s agribusiness industry from Hurricane Helene, Tropical Storm Debby, and this summer’s flash drought to be $621 million.
In response, Governor McMaster wrote a letter to members of the South Carolina Congressional Delegation requesting their support in securing federal funding through a block grant to the S.C. Department of Agriculture that would allow additional resources to be deployed to affected farming and forestry communities across the state.
“These staggering losses represent a critical blow to an industry already contending with rising inflation, labor shortages, and market pressures. The future of hundreds of agricultural operations is at risk, and without timely intervention, we face the prospect of long-term harm to the livelihoods of families who sustain our rural communities and contribute significantly to South Carolina’s prosperity and heritage,” Governor McMaster wrote in his letter.
Farm and Forest Recovery Resource Days will include representation from the following agencies:
•AgSouth – Providing information on loans, crop insurance, and leases for farms, equipment, timber industry, and agribusiness.
•Clemson University Extension – Assisting people in finding resources to support farm-related business decisions during storm recovery.
•Farmer Veteran Coalition of S.C. – Connecting Veteran farmers to technical resources, grants, and educational opportunities.
•Federal Emergency Management Agency – Providing information on registering for financial assistance related to the storm.
•Internal Revenue Service – Providing information on available federal tax law disaster relief provisions.
•Small Business Administration – Providing assistance regarding Business Start-Up, SBA Lending, and Federal Contracting.
•S.C. Conservation Bank – Providing information on agriculture land grants.
•S.C. Department of Agriculture – Will be on-site for support and discussion.
•S.C. Department of Commerce – Providing companies with information on services like small business resources, innovation, trade, recycling, industry support, and emergency management.
•S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce – Providing information on housing inspections on any storm-damaged employer-owned
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housing in advance of Foreign Labor Application Gateway applications and on unemployment benefits, including Disaster Unemployment Assistance and employer services.
•S.C. Department of Environmental Service – Assisting farms and tree producers with options for storm debris management, well water sampling, and regulated dam issues.
•S.C. Department of Insurance – Providing information on insurance claims, coverage, and fraud prevention.
•S.C. Department of Mental Health – Providing information on available mental health services.
•S.C. Department of Natural Resources – Supports local Soil and Water Conservation Districts that provide conservation technical assistance to South Carolina farmers and tree producers and help identify funding opportunities.
•S.C. Department of Veterans’ Affairs – Providing referrals for identified Veterans and their families that are available through the South Carolina Veteran Coalition.
•S.C. Emergency Management Division – Providing information on state-level planning for recovery and grant and assistance program availability and eligibility.
•S.C. Forestry Commission – Providing forest landowners management support, including timber damage assessment, salvage harvesting, replanting guidance, information on financial assistance for repairs, and fee-based services like firebreak plowing and prescribed burning.
•S.C. Office of Resilience – Providing case managers to assist eligible citizens with disaster-caused unmet needs.
•S.C. Small Business Development Centers – Providing no-fee private consulting to help small and mid-sized farm businesses impacted by disasters with recovery planning, financing, damage assessment, and other recovery needs.
•S.C. State University – Providing technical services, support, and guidance on recovery in areas like agriculture, forestry, health, families, natural resources, youth development and more.
• USDA Farm Services Agency – Providing information on disaster programs offering cost-share assistance and emergency loans to help farmers and producers recover from land, crop, and livestock losses due to a natural disaster.
•USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service – Providing financial and technical assistance information to farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners.
•Other federal, state, and local nonprofit organizations.
PARKS
Blacksburg, S.C. – After Hurricane Helene, National Park Service crews continue working to assess damages and begin to restore access to national parks in the western Carolinas.
Cowpens National Battlefield, Kings Mountain National Military Park, Ninety Six National Historic Site and Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail all experienced heavy rainfall and high winds during the hurricane, resulting in significant damage to the parks’ natural and cultural resources.
At Kings Mountain, the visitor center and roads have reopened. Trails remain closed as park staff continue to work to mitigate hazards created from Hurricane Helene. The visitor center is open Wednesday-Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The park is closed Monday - Tuesday.
At Cowpens, the visitor center, Loop Road, and a portion of the Battlefield Trail and picnic area have reopened. One section of the Battlefield Trail and the entire Nature Trail remain closed indefinitely. Some of the picnic pads still have unsafe conditions, but the majority are open. The visitor center is open Wednesday - Sunday 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. The park is closed Monday - Tuesday.
At Ninety Six, the visitor center and a portion of the Battlefield Trail have opened. The remainder of the trails are closed until further notice. Utility crews are working to restore severed internet and phone lines. The visitor center is open Wednesday-Sunday 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. The park is closed Monday - Tuesday.
Trees have been cleared from over three miles of road at Cowpens and a 16-person arborist and sawyer crew is working at Kings Mountain to clear downed trees, brush and debris, and to safely cut hanging limbs and leaning trees. For safety reasons, the parks ask that the general public please be patient and respect closures while crews work to get the sites open safely. Many areas remain unsafe due to hidden hazards, such as snags and hanging branches. Unauthorized use also hinders recovery operations of work crews. Each of the sites will update their website and social media as assessments are completed and cleanup progress is made.
Permits Required Before Rebuilding
If your home was damaged by Hurricane Helene, contact your community’s local floodplain manager or building and permitting departments to determine what steps you’ll need to take before starting repairs.
Rebuilding After a Hurricane
Every part of a building — from roofs, walls, and siding to plumbing, septic systems and heating/air conditioning systems — may require a permit before you start to rebuild. A permit may also be needed for demolition.
Permits protect owners, residents, communities and buildings by making sure repairs and/or construction meet current building codes, standards, floodplain ordinances and construction techniques. Permits also provide a permanent record of compliance with elevation and/or retrofitting requirements, which is valuable information when selling the structure or obtaining flood insurance coverage.
Rebuilding in a Floodplain
Obtaining a development/building permit is required for those whose homes or businesses are located within a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). Building permits are based on current local codes, floodplain management ordinances, and the South Carolina Building Code that are enforced locally, not by FEMA.
Contact your community’s local floodplain manager and building and permitting department to find information on locally approved and licensed contractors. These offices can provide suggestions on consumer protection against unscrupulous contractors, as well as how to protect homes or businesses from future disaster-related damage.
Be Aware
If proper permits are not obtained, residents may be subject to stop-work orders, fines or penalties issued by local authorities. Some communities may choose to waive permit fees but the requirement to obtain the permits themselves cannot be waived.
FEMA does not recommend or endorse contractors, and officials warn people to be wary of contractors who claim they are authorized by FEMA. They are not.
Hurricane Helene, disaster preparedness needs draw crowds for Lander lecture
GREENWOOD — Dr. Matthew Malone had planned his talk for Lander University’s Community Lecture Series to center on disaster preparedness in commemoration of the 35th anniversary of Hurricane Hugo on Sept. 22, 1989.
But an unexpected turn of events upended his plan. “Helene happened,” Malone said of the program, which was renamed “Hurricane Hugo and Helene: What Happens after the Storm?”
The second installment of the 2024-25 lecture series drew a crowd from areas surrounding Greenwood, as well as local community members and Lander students, faculty and staff – all curious about the disaster relief process, as well as preparedness for the next storm or disaster.
Malone, a Lander associate professor of political science and homeland security and program coordinator for the University’s Master of Science in Emergency Management Program, worked for the Alabama Emergency Management before joining Lander’s faculty in 2017.
“Hugo was the largest and costliest disaster in South Carolina until Helene,” Malone said, pointing out that Helene led to power outages for nearly 1.4 million people in the Southeast and thousands of homes destroyed or damaged. “We don’t know the extent of the damage from this disaster yet.”
In addition to discussing the process by which local, state and federal governments and agencies work to provide disaster relief and assistance to individuals and public entities, Malone talked about the need for individuals to be prepared.
A 2023 study by FEMA on disaster preparedness found that 51 percent of adults say they are prepared, but 77 percent believe that “a disaster is likely to impact their lives … we want people to take action before a disaster strikes,” Malone said.
In planning for a disaster, people should prepare necessary supplies for at least 72 hours, which is considered the standard response time for emergency and relief personnel to reach some areas.
Malone answered questions from the audience on topics ranging from hazard mitigation, changes that could be made to flood plain designations, cell phone outages, the use of the National Guard in disaster situations to concerns for vulnerable populations, including children and adults with health problems.
Lander student Sophia Reyes, of Greenwood, a junior criminology and political science double major, asked if emergency plans include the needs of those who are jailed or imprisoned during a storm.
“One thing that emergency managers are told is to consider vulnerable populations, which would include those who are incarcerated,” Malone said. “We should have plans in place for the cities and counties where they are located.”
Reyes said the hurricane led her to wonder about plans for prisoners who are unable to make disaster plans and preparations for themselves. “As a criminology major, I realized these are people who aren’t in control of their situations and can’t make their own preparations.”
She said the lecture gave her a more comprehensive understanding of disaster preparedness in general and how she can prepare for a future crisis. “It was comforting to know that I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t prepared.”
Like Reyes, Sarah Behringer, a senior political science major from Greenwood, said Hurricane Helene caught her off-guard. “We thought the hurricane was only going to be a little bit of rain and wind. Coming here has given me a better understanding of what I can do to be more prepared.”
Every plan needs to be updated frequently, Malone said.
“A plan is a living document that minimally should be revisited once a year, and preferably more often than that.”
Lander University President bestows gifts of appreciation
GREENWOOD — With the Thanksgiving season approaching, Lander University President Richard Cosentino took time from his schedule to express his gratitude to faculty and staff.
With holiday music providing an upbeat vibe on the campus lawn, the President and University officials handed out approximately 450 turkeys and hams to employees on Thursday. “We really have wonderful employees who work hard to ensure our students’ success,” Cosentino said. “Their unwavering commitment every day is key to our mission of making Lander University a place of excellence and opportunity.”
Cosentino said he is very appreciative of the dedication from Lander’s full- and part-time employees. “I am truly thankful for our Lander family, and, while this is a small gesture, I hope it reminds everyone of how much their contributions are valued and how deeply they impact our success.”
SCDOT continues recovery operations across the state
Columbia — The South Carolina Department of Transportation continues debris operations in the areas of the state impacted by Hurricane Helene.
At this time, there are 98 SCDOT crews and 214 contractor units working to remove debris. Since work began in October, more than 1,140,000 cubic yards of debris have been collected.
We appreciate the public’s patience as we continue to recover from this event. SCDOT asks that if you encounter our crews or other first responders, slow down and give them room to work.
You can report issues on a state-maintained roadway by calling 855-467-2368.
Red Cross on 2024 trends: Extreme weather creates
massive humanitarian needs amid nonstop disaster responses
Donate a gift of any size or give blood during
the holidays to provide help and hope
SOUTH CAROLINA — In 2024, extreme weather mounted an overwhelming toll on people in South Carolina and the U.S., who relied on the American Red Cross for relief and care as they faced the country’s second-highest number of billion-dollar disasters ever recorded.
This year’s 24 major climate and weather events — each with losses exceeding $1 billion — are topped only by last year’s record-breaking 28. To help, over 2,000 Red Cross volunteers from South Carolina have been part of teams responding nonstop to provide shelter, food and other assistance to tens of thousands of people reeling from this year’s hurricanes, storms, and floods — all while continuing to care for families still recovering from 2023’s extreme disasters.
“First-hand, I’ve seen the devastation that disasters have caused families this year — and extreme weather shows no signs of slowing down,” said Yolanda Gainwell, Interim Regional Chief Executive Officer for the Red Cross of South Carolina, who responded to Hurricane Helene. “Whether a crisis happens in our backyard or a community across the country, neighbors are counting on us to help ensure they don’t face it alone. Please join us by making a donation of any size or rolling up a sleeve to give blood.”
This Giving Tuesday and holiday season, visit redcross.org to make a financial donation or an appointment to give blood. Individuals can also give the gift of time through volunteering.
NEED FOR FOOD IN 2024 NEARLY TRIPLES 5-YEAR NATIONAL AVERAGE Nationally, the scope of disasters increased this year’s demand for necessities like food and emergency lodging — which both exceeded the annual average for the past five years. In fact, this year’s more than 7 million meals and snacks, served by Red Cross volunteers, nearly tripled that average.
Locally, this included apartment fires, severe storm damage and flooding. And on a national scale, 191 volunteers from South Carolina raised their hands to deploy across the country following multiple large-scale disasters, many of them multiple times, to provide comfort and relief to countless families impacted by tornadoes, wildfires, floods and hurricanes.
RESPONDING TO OTHER HUMANITARIAN NEEDS This year, the Red Cross addressed people’s urgent needs in other ways too:
•BLOOD DONATIONS: Millions of blood donors nationwide helped overcome a significant number of blood drive cancellations due to the country’s severe weather and heat, including over 3,400 blood drives in South Carolina. This support was critical because as the nation’s largest blood supplier, the Red Cross helped ensure patients continued accessing lifesaving treatment during major disasters by pre-positioning blood products near areas likely to be impacted. To celebrate 30 years of FRIENDS, all who come to give blood or platelets Nov. 18-Dec. 8 will receive two pairs of custom FRIENDS + Red Cross socks, while supplies last, in partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery Global Consumer Products. See RedCrossBlood.org/Friends for details.
•LIFESAVING TRAINING: With emergency rooms experiencing a spike in heat illness visits amid the country’s extreme temperatures, Red Cross instructors empowered millions of people — including over 37,000 in South Carolina — this year with vital first aid, CPR and AED skills to help them prevent and respond to heat stroke and heat exhaustion.
•MILITARY FAMILIES: Through our 24/7, global Hero Care Network, local Red Cross workers supported military members, veterans and their families in South Carolina this year through nearly 9,000 case services, such as connecting deployed service members and loved ones during family emergencies. Nationally, this also included answering thousands of calls from military families affected by this year’s hurricanes — including Helene and Milton — and connecting them with military aid societies to help facilitate recovery assistance.
Visit our Year-in-Review webpage for more information about how the Red Cross of South Carolina helped people in our state in 2024.
Biden administration asks Congress for $98.4 billion in disaster aid after stormy year
BY: JENNIFER SHUTT - NOVEMBER 18, 2024 1:32 PM
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is asking Congress to approve $98.4 billion in emergency spending to bolster the federal government’s response and recovery efforts following a series of natural disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton that devastated parts of Southeastern states.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Agriculture would receive the bulk of the funding request, if lawmakers approve it in full, though they can increase, decrease, or ignore whatever they wish.
Congress is expected to begin vetting the supplemental spending request this week before departing on a one-week Thanksgiving break. It’s likely lawmakers and staff will release an emergency spending bill in early December when both chambers return for a three-week session.
“It is absolutely critical that these communities know that their government has not forgotten them,” White House budget director Shalanda Young said Monday in a briefing with reporters.
The spending request, she said, would address a series of natural disasters throughout the country, including ongoing recovery efforts following the wildfires in Maui; tornados across the Midwest; the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland; and severe storms in Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Virginia.
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia were hit by the hurricanes.
Busy hurricane, tornado seasons
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said during the call that 2024 has been “a year of records.”
“Hurricane Beryl became the earliest Category 5 storm to form in the Atlantic and Hurricane Helene has devastated six states,” Criswell said. “We saw the second-busiest spring tornado season ever recorded. And we’ve seen, overall, a 50% increase in disaster activity.”
FEMA managed 114 disaster declarations during 2023, but has provided response and recovery aid to 172 natural disasters so far this year, Criswell said.
“To date, FEMA has obligated over $7.5 billion alone for the response and recovery for Hurricanes Helene and Milton,” she said. “These storms were incredibly large and spending on the first month, post-landfall for each storm outpaced nearly all disasters that we have responded to over the last 20 years.”
FEMA, she said, has enough funding to continue its life-saving response and recovery activities through the end of a stopgap funding bill on Dec. 20, assuming no other major disasters take place.
The emergency spending request released Monday asks Congress to provide
Congress to probe disaster recovery
Congressional committees are holding a series of hearings this week to delve into how the Biden administration responded to the slew of natural disasters that have happened this year and to vet the supplemental spending request.
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is scheduled to hold a hearing Tuesday morning with Criswell; North Carolina Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards, who represents western sections of the state, including Asheville; and Florida Democratic Rep. Kathy Castor, who represents parts of the Tampa Bay area.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday afternoon on FEMA’s natural disaster response, with testimony from Criswell.
On Wednesday, the Senate Appropriations Committee will hold a hearing on disaster funding needs with testimony from Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Small Business Administrator Isabel Guzman, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Xochitl Torres Small, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman and FEMA Administrator Criswell.
The Appropriations committees in the House and Senate will work with leadership to draft the supplemental spending bill.
Senate Appropriations Chair Patty Murray, D-Wash., released a written statement Monday calling on her colleagues to quickly approve an emergency spending bill.
“We cannot afford to delay further in getting disaster relief across the line so that communities can rebuild schools, roads, and utilities, families can get back on their feet, and our small businesses and farmers can stay afloat,” Murray said. “As we get additional updates from agencies from their ongoing assessments, I look forward to working with my colleagues in the remaining weeks of this Congress to craft and pass a bipartisan disaster package that addresses this request and other critical disaster needs in order to meet the urgent challenges communities all across our country are facing.”
Last updated 4:59 p.m., Nov. 18, 2024
Jennifer covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Insurers expect Helene’s damages to be historic. That’s not counting what they won’t pay.
Insurance premiums in SC and nationwide will continue to rise with cost to rebuild
BY: JESSICA HOLDMAN - OCTOBER 30, 2024 8:31 AM
A few tarps and an old quilt are the only barriers sealing off what remains of Gary and Patricia Brinkley’s Pacolet home from the outside elements after Tropical Storm Helene toppled a 90-foot oak tree that crushed the roof above their bedroom and living room.
Meanwhile, cold weather is coming, with forecasted temperatures dipping into the low 40s next week.
The Brinkley’s homeowners’ insurance carrier declared their home in rural Spartanburg County a total loss.
But their coverage level is still $15,000 short of paying for repairs, and the elderly couple’s application for federal disaster aid has been twice denied.
They’re among South Carolinians learning the hard way this hurricane season that insurance won’t cover their needs. Yet, what insurers are paying for Helene damage is expected to be historic.
“Helene will go down as one of the costliest disasters in South Carolina history,” Bob Hartwig, director of the University of South Carolina’s Risk and Uncertainty Management Center, told legislators Tuesday.
As of Wednesday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency had reports of damage to 13,642 homes across 28 counties and the Catawba Indian Reservation within the state’s presidentially declared disaster zone.
The storm also appears likely to become one of the top 20 most costly disasters in U.S. history when it comes to damages covered by insurance, with current estimates totaling $11 billion, Hartwig said.
Total damages are even greater as nearly all of the losses due to Helene’s catastrophic flooding, which wiped out entire communities in western North Carolina, were uninsured.
The increased frequency of these major disasters, coupled with rising inflation and property values since 2020, means the cost of insurance has and will continue to rise.
Disasters that occurred in the last four years are blowing away record insured losses set in previous decades going back to the ‘80s, even when adjusted for inflation, Hartwig said.
When it comes to inflation, the cost of construction materials that insurers pay for when making repairs rose 40% from 2020 to 2024, Hartwig said. And the cost of construction crews has gone up 35%, far outpacing the overall national inflation rate.
Even as inflation has slowed, prices have not gone down, Hartwig added.
And because insurance companies are only able to adjust premiums annually, carriers really only started recuperating the price increases in 2023.
“Homeowners’ rates have been increasing steadily over the past few years, and we expect the increases to continue to some extent until the market stabilizes,” state Department of Insurance spokeswoman Diane Cooper told the SC Daily Gazette.
And residents can’t count on federal disaster aid to make up the difference in their coverage, as the Brinkleys are learning.
‘In limbo’
Gary Brinkley was lying on the living room couch watching television when that old oak came crashing down, limbs landing just above the 79-year-old Vietnam veteran’s head.
It destroyed the living room, half the bedroom and all the furnishings.
A Pacolet town ordinance does not allow residents to place any new mobile homes outside of certain designated areas, so the Brinkleys can’t replace their damaged home with a new one like it.
After filing an insurance claim, the couple was still $15,000 short of the cost to repair. They turned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency in hopes of receiving federal aid to bridge the gap.
To date, FEMA has approved applications from more than 200,000 uninsured and under-insured South Carolinians for a total of $199 million in aid for Helene — $18 million of which has gone to assist with home repairs.
But the agency approved just $750 in aid for the Brinkleys to cover immediate needs, such as food or a hotel room. Two follow-up attempts for aid with home repairs that went beyond what the couple was insured for were denied, Gary Brinkley said. He did not know the agency’s reason for the denial.
The couple’s Social Security checks and the modest paycheck Patricia Brinkley receives from working a few weekly shifts at a nearby Dollar General are not enough. So, despite having paid off their property loans two decades ago, the Brinkleys may now have to sell.
“This was going to be our place to spend the rest of our years,” Gary Brinkley said. “We were counting on FEMA. Now we’re just in limbo.”
Coverage gaps
While South Carolina has a history of catastrophic natural disasters — a list that includes Hurricane Hugo in 1989, Hurricane Joaquin in 2015, Hurricane Matthew in 2016, Tropical Storm Irma in 2017, Hurricane Florence in 2018 and now tropical storms Debby and Helene — the state Department of Insurance says it does not have information on how often people turn to FEMA for coverage gaps.
Often the greatest gap in coverage is related to flood damage, which requires a separate policy from standard homeowners’ insurance.
When it comes to flood insurance, Hartwig said, South Carolina is greatly underinsured, particularly in the Upstate where less than 1% of homeowners have flood coverage.
As of Wednesday, FEMA recorded flood damage to 1,366 homes in the Upstate due to Helene, most of that in Greenville and Spartanburg counties. Within the state’s presidentially declared disaster zone, 1,680 homes were damaged by floodwaters.
In addition to distributing federal disaster aid, FEMA oversees the National Flood Insurance Program, serving as the primary underwriter of flood insurance nationwide since the late 1960s.
The program offers two types of coverage, one insuring buildings up to $250,000 — to repair or rebuild the actual structure — and a second insuring contents up to $100,000.
About 198,000 households in South Carolina carry national flood insurance policies. That represents just 8% of all residential properties statewide.
Still, South Carolina ranks fifth in the nation in terms of the number of those policies held, trailing Florida, Texas, Louisiana and New Jersey, said Maria Cox, state coordinator for the state Department of Natural Resources Flood Mitigation Program.
The cost of those annual policies depends on estimated rebuilding expenses. Almost half of South Carolina homeowners with federal insurance pay less than $1,000 annually, according to FEMA data for single-family homes as of August 2023.
However, regardless of the actual cost to rebuild, the FEMA program will not pay above that $250,000 policy limit.
That’s well below the median price of a home in South Carolina, which is almost $340,000 statewide. Median prices on the coast, where flooding typically happens, are well above that. The most expensive market in the state is Hilton Head Island, where the median price is $545,000, according to the latest report from South Carolina Realtors.
Insurance companies respond
The state insurance agency also has no way of measuring how soon insured residents can expect to receive a payout in Helene’s wake.
“We understand that everyone wants the process to be finished as quickly as possible so they can return to a normal life,” said Cooper, the agency’s spokeswoman.
Typically, if there is substantial damage to a home, an insurance claim will not be closed with a single payment, Cooper said. Instead, there will be multiple claim payments as the rebuilding process moves along.
Speaking from personal experience, Hartwig said he filed a claim for damage to the roof of his Lexington County home the day after the storm. An adjuster was there within a week and the check is now in the mail.
To help speed things along, the state Insurance Department hosted insurance-specific events in Greenville, Aiken, and Spartanburg with representatives from 80% of the state’s auto and home insurance carriers on site issuing payments and helping hundreds of customers file claims.
Insurance companies also have set up their own mobile claims centers and brought adjusters in from other states to help.
More than 3,400 emergency permits were issued to out-of-state adjusters, state insurance regulators said.
Jessica Holdman writes about the economy, workforce and higher education. Before joining the SC Daily Gazette, she was a business reporter for The Post and Courier.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
In this rural SC county, restoring power after Helene took weeks
McCormick County is at the end of utility companies’ transmission lines
BY: ABRAHAM KENMORE - OCTOBER 29, 2024 6:45 AM
MCCORMICK — For Joanna Huoni, Helene was the second storm she lived through in three months. Huoni was living in an RV in Texas, receiving cancer treatments, when she was hit by Hurricane Beryl.
“I lost everything, so I came home to mom’s,” she said.
Home was in the town of McCormick, where Huoni, 63, was living with her sister and her elderly mother when Helene hit.
The storm tore the power lines from their house, starting a small fire, Huoni said. Then the power went out and they were able to extinguish the fire. A tree went through the side of her mother’s above-ground pool, and a branch wrecked the radiator and grill on Huoni’s truck.
Her sister, who is diabetic, lost all of her insulin and went without for 10 days. It took five or six days for the pharmacy in Greenwood to re-open, then a few more days for insurance to process the request and replace the insulin.
“I have a defibrillator. My defibrillator actually zapped me 103 times in two weeks from the stress and from the heat and the exhaustion. It was not easy,” Huoni said.
Huoni spoke to the SC Daily Gazette recently while waiting for assistance with a Federal Emergency Management Agency application — the agency had a trailer, table and chairs set up outside the county office to help residents.
Huoni said she got her truck back from the repair shop that morning, Oct. 18 — four weeks after Helene hit and three days after the power lines had been reconnected to her mother’s house.
The damage to the house was about $40,000 and her mother’s homeowner’s insurance had a $10,000 deductible, so she was looking to see what aid the family was eligible for.
“My cancer journey has taught me to let go of yesterday,” she said. “Stop making yourself crazy about tomorrow. It’s not promised to any of us. You get through today the very best you can.”
“I’ve never been more proud of our community”
McCormick County is one of the smallest counties in the state by population, with about 9,500 people. It was also right in the path of the storm that ran along the Georgia-South Carolina border.
Its county offices were among the last to re-open after the storm — the administrative offices did not have generators, although the emergency management services did.
Official windspeed numbers are hard to know because the lack of power impacted the measuring stations, said John Quagliariello, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
But a social media post from the Columbia NWS showed wind gusts of up to 100 mph buffeting parts of the county.
After the storm, the entire county was without power and basically every road in the county was impassable, said Jason Brown, who heads the county emergency services.
It took 3½ weeks for power to be fully restored countywide, he said.
“The power crews — they did an excellent job getting power back up, don’t know how in the world they done it,” said Brown.
Brown said he made sure all county employees checked their equipment about 48 hours before the storm hit, but no one realized how bad it would be. Some law enforcement officers out responding to calls were blocked in by falling trees and rode out the storm in their vehicles.
When the weather cleared, the priority for first responders was to clear a route to the closest hospital, just over 20 miles away in Greenwood.
“Took them about seven or eight hours to cut and push that much. I mean, it was a lot of damage,” Brown said.
The county had 40 calls for emergency services in the first 12 hours after the storm, 13 for fire services and the rest medical, Brown said.
Medevac helicopters couldn’t fly in due to the wind. County first responders told people to make their own way to the hospital if they could, or used responders from nearby counties, or cut their way in.
“You get creative. You have to leave the truck sitting on the side of the road, you get out and walk,” Brown said, noting he walked about 2 miles to bring one man out. “We were blessed. Nobody died — could have been a lot worse.”
Brown estimated 60 to 70 homes in the county had some kind of damage, with a handful being seriously damaged.
That was one reason it took a while for the county administrative offices to re-open. Even if the office had power, many county employees would have a hard time making it in, he said.
“We had a few county employees that lost their homes. We weren’t worried about them trying to make it into work,” he said.
The storm came through in the early hours of Friday, Sept. 27.
On Sunday evening, Brown said, they noticed one of the three radio towers that powers the county-wide dispatch system was down. The generator failed, so they had to bring out a small mobile generator and send someone to refill it with fuel every eight hours.
Generators were a major issue for the county, said Charles Jennings, chairman of the county council. In 14 years as chair and 36 years on the council, he said he had never seen anything like Helene.
After it came through, county officials called around to hardware stores for generators, trying to get necessary services up and running. A generator on the water plant also failed and they had to swap it, but Jennings said no one reported an interruption in the water.
“We even had an extra generator by the time the power started coming back on,” he said.
The town of McCormick did have backup generators, installed about seven years ago, Mayor Roy Smith said. That enabled the town hall and fire department to remain open, letting people charge devices from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“We could cook a little bit at the fire department, and everybody was volunteering and pitching in,” Smith said. “I’ve never been more proud of our community than I was at that time.”
The town got power back about five days in, Smith said. He remembers handing out ice when he got word that power would be back soon.
“Right behind me was Burger King, and I looked up and I saw the lamp pole on Burger King lit up, and that was a blessing,” he said.
McCormick County has at least four power providers, and the county is at the end of the transmission line for all four of them, according to state Sen. Shane Massey, R-Edgefield, whose district includes all of McCormick County.
Because of that, power companies had to work their way along the transmission lines into the county, Massey said, fixing all the damage behind them to get there.
“It wasn’t that anybody forgot about them. Nobody forgot about them — just they had to do all this infrastructure restoration work before they got to the houses in McCormick,” he said. “They have essentially been having to rebuild the grid, and I don’t know that you can fully appreciate that unless you see it firsthand.”
“There’s just so much to pick up”
Outside the town of McCormick, power restoration took longer.
Valerie Houston lives in Plum Branch, about 5 miles outside McCormick, and she said it took about 10 days to get power back. She stayed in Greenwood for most of that time with an acquaintance.
“It was rough,” she said of the storm. “The loud noise sounded like a train was coming.”
Houston, 58, said there was damage to the siding and shingles on her mobile home, and a branch dented her car. A 60-year-old pine tree was uprooted and fell beside her house. Neighbors took the branches off, but she doesn’t have the money to pay someone to cut up the trunk, she said.
Houston was also waiting on assistance with FEMA outside the emergency department when she spoke to the Gazette. She filled out the application online, but it listed her as living in Saluda County, so she wanted to sort out the issue.
Lucas Charbeneau took a break from cleaning his yard to speak with the Gazette outside his home, roughly between Parkersville and Modoc. He had two neat piles of logs already outside his house, and more on the other side, he said, waiting for the state Department of Transportation to pick it up.
“It may sit here for a month before they get here, there’s just so much to pick up,” he said.
Charbeneau, 66, estimated 30 or 40 trees came down on his property, which is just under three acres, although none of them hit his home or buildings. His neighbor had about 100 trees down, he said.
He expects to get a little money from FEMA for lost food, but nothing from FEMA or insurance for the $4,500 he spent on a tree service to get the wood cut and stacked.
Despite the prolonged power outages, no one the Gazette spoke to complained about the response from power companies or government agencies. A few gas stations were up and running quickly, rationing gas to make sure everyone got some. Churches and restaurants and neighbors made sure everyone was fed.
The state Emergency Management agency showed up with food and water in less than three days, which county officials called on schedule, since they expect to be self-sufficient for 72 hours.
Local officials are already looking to how to better prepare for next time.
Making sure shelters in the county have backup generators is one priority, said Brown, the head of county emergency management.
Although police cars won’t blow over like a firetruck might, Brown said the sheriff’s department will not go out when winds top 40 mph anymore to avoid getting vehicles trapped by falling trees.
The county, along with many of the residents, should be reimbursed for the cost of the disaster by FEMA. But the scale of the damage is hard to calculate at this point.
Brown said he didn’t want to even guess at a price tag, even weeks after the storm.
“I know this storm is going to cost McCormick County more than any other natural disaster we’ve seen in our history,” he said. “Recovery is going to take a while.”
Abraham Kenmore is a reporter covering elections, health care and more. He joins the SC Daily Gazette from The Augusta Chronicle, where he reported on Georgia legislators, military and housing issues.
SC Daily Gazette is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
Storm put Lander students on front lines of serving communities in need
GREENWOOD -- Heavy rains and winds already were pushing into South Carolina when Robert Fallaw left Lander University at 1 a.m. Friday, September 27, for his home in Edgefield. Despite flash flood warnings overnight, Fallaw would not be deterred in his efforts to leave.
He was determined: Nothing would prevent him from traveling the next day to Atlanta where he would board a flight for a mission trip to Nicaragua. “It was kind of messy, but I was fine. I was not going to miss my flight,” said Fallaw, a junior education major who plans to become a middle school teacher and baseball coach.
It was Fallaw’s second mission trip to Nicaragua where he joined his fellow Lander student Jacob Rushton to share the gospel with local villagers.
Rushton, of Johnston, a senior business administration major with an emphasis in sports management, said that despite limited technology service in Nicaragua he and Fallaw were able to stay abreast of the news from South Carolina, including the storm’s impact on their families and Lander’s campus.
The storm totaled his father’s truck and left trees and debris at Rushton’s home. “The greatest impact on me was the realization that I wasn’t there to help my family,” said Rushton, who immediately turned to the task of storm cleanup after his trip.
When Fallaw returned home, he went to work to help clear trees in an Aiken neighborhood predominantly occupied by retirees. Fallaw, who has worked with Blue Sky Tree Service since age 14, said, “It mean so much to me to be able to do something to help. We worked to get trees off people’s houses and to clear trees from yards. These were people who would not be able to do this work themselves.”
Lonniesha Charlen Grant-Guyton, a junior from Cleveland, Mississippi, said she realized something was seriously wrong about 4 a.m. Friday when rain began pouring into her off-campus apartment. Despite the challenges to her personal life, Grant-Guyton turned to her role of essential worker on Sunday as an employee at a Dollar General store in Greenwood.
“The experience was hectic to say the least. There were long lines, with customers seeking food and other necessary items for their homes,” said Grant-Guyton. “We sold out of charcoal and lighter fluid in the first 10 minutes of being open.”
Customers were concerned about getting their power restored and being able to take care of their families. “It was a privilege to be able to talk to people. We were all grateful that we had come through the initial part of the storm OK, and no matter what the situation was we didn’t have it as bad as people in other parts our region,” said Grant-Guyton, a nursing major. “We could get it through it together.”
Even before the storm, Chandler Patterson, of Columbia, had decided that his future career would be as a meteorologist for a television station. The experience highlighted the importance of providing weather information to those in need, and intensified his desire to work in the field.
“The storm was pretty much apocalyptic,” said Patterson, a senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, with an emphasis in science media. “When we ventured out on Friday, we saw the devastation. It was overwhelming.”
Like Grant-Guyton, Patterson interacted with community members through his job as a server at Sports Break, a popular bar and grill near campus. “Talking to customers and hearing their stories kept me updated on what was happening in the community and how the storm was affecting people. It made me very thankful for the linemen who were working in dangerous conditions and doing the best they could to help us.”
He described the experience of continuing to work with the public as “very humbling … I am so appreciative of our community and the kindness we saw, even as people were stressed and worried about what was happening.”
Although her home in Honea Path lost power and debris blocked roads to Greenwood, Nalmary Rivera, a sophomore nursing major, was on the front lines of service in her job at Publix with her brother, Rey Rivera, a senior nursing major – just 24 hours after the storm.
“There were no streetlights or stop lights that were functioning. When we arrived at Publix that day, it was mayhem. We were the only grocery store open, so everyone was coming to Publix. We had a long line of people waiting outside to come in. Inside of the store. It genuinely looked like an apocalypse like you see in the movies. The store was dark, the aisles were crowded, and our shelves were practically empty.”
Even with the disruption, “there were many people that thanked us for being open and for working on such a confusing day. This warmed my heart because it showed that many customers were still appreciative,” she said.
Rivera was grateful, too, for the sense of routine that her work provided. “Not being on campus made me miss walking around and seeing everyone and their smiles,” she said. “It made me miss the buzz and fun that radiates off Lander’s campus daily.”
Jonathon Walker, of Mountville, remained on campus during the campus closure to be accessible to his jobs at Chick-fil-A, a fast-food restaurant, and Publix, where he is one of the grocery store’s pharmacy technicians. His family’s home lacked power and water, and travel was difficult because of roads impacted by the storm. “I was thankful for my running water at Lander, even if it was cold.”
He was eager to work, too. “Serving the public at Publix Pharmacy and Chick-fil-A did not seem very different from normal,” he said. “I always did my best to provide a great experience to guests at Chick-fil-A, and that hasn't changed in the slightest. I have used that dedication to service excellence at Publix Pharmacy. Even though I may not be the most skilled pharmacy technician, I will be smiling and as helpful as possible.”
Walker, who holds the title Mr. Lander, is a senior business administration major and Presidential Ambassador. He’s ready to share his positive spirit with his classmates. “The rest of the semester, I will be doing my best to help everyone bounce back from this and trying to reschedule events and meetings.”
Returning home to Irmo gave Sylvia Dobbe, a freshman education major and a Teaching Fellow, the opportunity to discuss her education classes at Lander with students at Westwood High School in Blythewood. On their first day back in class, Dobbe joined her friends Alyssa Drakes, of Columbia, and Maddy Waters, of Due West, at the Grier Student Center to catch up on their time away from campus.
Each expressed the relief of being back in class and having the camaraderie of their campus friends. “Seeing President (Richard) Cosentino working with campus police officers and Lander staff to serve meals immediately after the storm hit was sweet,” Waters said. “I was very impressed by that. They care about us, and it showed.”
Rushton said that despite students’ varied experiences throughout the storm, one factor became obvious to him: “Everybody here at Lander is more like family than we really thought.”
SBA Pushes Back Deadline, Relocates Loan Center to Speed up Helene Recovery
ATLANTA – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced survivors of Hurricane Helene that occurred on Sept. 25 through Oct. 7, now have more time to apply for SBA’s low-interest physical disaster loans. Businesses and residents who have damage from the storm now have until Jan. 7, to apply and see how SBA can help.
The disaster declaration now covers Abbeville, Aiken, Allendale, Anderson, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Cherokee, Chester, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Hampton, Jasper, Kershaw, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Orangeburg, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union, York and the Catawba Indian Nation in South Carolina, which are eligible for both Physical and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) from the SBA. Small businesses and most private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply only for SBA EIDLs: Berkeley, Calhoun, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dorchester, Lancaster, Lee and Sumter in South Carolina; Burke, Chatham, Columbia, Effingham, Elbert, Franklin, Habersham, Hart, Lincoln, Rabun, Richmond, Screven, and Stephens in Georgia; and Cleveland, Gaston, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Mecklenburg, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania in North Carolina.
“SBA’s Portable Loan Outreach Centers are a cornerstone of our support for business owners,” said Francisco Sánchez, Jr., associate administrator for the Office of Disaster Recovery and Resilience at the SBA. “At these centers, business owners can meet face-to-face with specialists to apply for disaster loans and access a wide range of resources to guide them through their recovery.”
Customer Service Representatives are available at the centers to answer questions, assist business owners complete their disaster loan application, accept documents, and provide updates on an application’s status. On October 15, 2024, it was announced that funds for the Disaster Loan Program have been fully expended. While no new loans can be issued until Congress appropriates additional funding, we remain committed to supporting disaster survivors. Applications will continue to be accepted and processed to ensure individuals and businesses are prepared to receive assistance once funding becomes available.
Applicants are encouraged to submit their loan applications promptly for review in anticipation of future funding.
With the changes to FEMA’s Sequence of Delivery, survivors are now encouraged to simultaneously apply for FEMA grants and the SBA low-interest disaster loan assistance to fully recover. FEMA grants are intended to cover necessary expenses and serious needs not paid by insurance or other sources. The SBA disaster loan program is designed for your long-term recovery, to make you whole and get you back to your pre-disaster condition. Do not wait on the decision for a FEMA grant; apply online and receive additional disaster assistance information at sba.gov/disaster.
Applicants may also call the SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or send an email to disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. For people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability, please dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is Jan. 7, 2025. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 30, 2025.
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About the U.S. Small Business Administration
The U.S. Small Business Administration helps power the American dream of business ownership. As the only go-to resource and voice for small businesses backed by the strength of the federal government, the SBA empowers entrepreneurs and small business owners with the resources and support they need to start, grow or expand their businesses, or recover from a declared disaster. It delivers services through an extensive network of SBA field offices and partnerships with public and private organizations. To learn more, visit www.sba.gov.
LETTER: Disasters keep families away from home during holidays
The holidays are a time to come together — not just as family and friends, but also as a community.
With NOAA data showing that 2024 is our country’s second-highest year of billion-dollar disasters — like Hurricane Helene — many people won’t be able to spend the holidays at home. For thousands, this year’s disasters reduced their homes to rubble, leaving them to seek refuge at an emergency shelter, in temporary
housing or with loved ones.
But there’s hope, thanks to volunteers and donors whose support through the American Red Cross is helping people to rebuild their lives with aid such as a safe place to stay, food, emotional support and recovery assistance.
The need for this help is growing, amid the increasing frequency and intensity of disasters. Today, we’re responding to twice as many major U.S. disasters as we did a decade ago — all on top of local, everyday crises like home fires that are no less heartbreaking.
Last year alone, the Upstate Chapter of the Red Cross of South Carolina responded to 460 local disasters, including home fires--assisting 1,277 people by distributing more than $370,000 in direct financial assistance following local disasters. The Upstate Chapter made more than 700 homes safer through educational visits and free smoke alarm installs. Additionally, we provided 1,385 case services to military, veterans and their families, and collected 1,865 units of lifesaving blood for patients in need.
With no signs of extreme disasters and everyday emergencies slowing down, people are depending on all of us to be there with support when the next crisis strikes.
We cannot do it alone. Join us by visiting redcross.org to make a financial donation. You can also give the gift of lifesaving blood or time helping others.
Jamie Raichel, Executive Director
Red Cross Upstate Chapter
Devastation gives way to resilience and hope in western NC
BY: GREG CHILDRESS - NOVEMBER 27, 2024 9:42 AM
HENDERSONVILLE, N.C. — On the morning that Hurricane Helene dumped historic rainfall on western North Carolina, Robert Tallman found himself trapped on the porch of his home in a Hendersonville mobile home park for low-income seniors.
Tallman also manages the park — Hendersonville Mobile Estates — just off of Spartanburg Highway.
His ordeal began after he walked onto the porch of the old farmhouse/rental office where he lived in an efficiency apartment to warn tenants that it was time to evacuate to higher ground.
That’s when a big gust of wind blew the door shut, he said, and a bookcase fell over and blocked the door from inside so he could not reenter the house. A picnic table pushed around by swirling wind blocked a rear entrance.
So, a few hours later, locked out of the house and standing in chin-deep flood waters with rain still falling, the 79-year-old Tallman had what he thought was a final conversation with God.
“Well, Lord, I guess I’ll be talking to you in a few minutes face-to-face, because it’s up to my chin and it’s still pouring,” Tallman said. “Just then, it was like he [God] turned it off. The rain stopped and a glimmer of sunlight came through and I said, ‘Wow, fast answer, thank you sir.’”
Life in a “FEMA motel”
Tallman and others forced to leave the mobile home park are now living in hotel rooms paid for by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and that’s where they’ll be on Thanksgiving — likely feasting on dinners provided by churches and nonprofits.
The residents have lived in a “FEMA motel” as it is referred to for more than a month. They moved in after temporary shelters set up to house displaced residents right after the storm closed.
“Some of them [tenants] are still dazed, kind of like a fish out of water, flopping around,” Tallman said when asked about the general mood of people in the hotel. “We went from being in comfortable housing and with food and everything to essentially street people with no transportation, no place to live, nothing.”
Of course, the FEMA motel is not home, Tallman said, but tenants from the mobile home park and others displaced by the storm are grateful for shelter.
More importantly, they are thankful for life.
“There were many that died, but we’re alive,” Tillman said. “We may not have anything, but of course, we didn’t have much to begin with, so we didn’t lose that much, but we’re alive and all the rest is replaceable.”
An existing affordable housing problem is worsened
About two-thirds of the mobile home park’s 70 or so residents were impacted by the storm, Tallman said.
Low-lying areas in the park suffered the greatest damage. Some units have been condemned and it’s unclear whether they’ll be replaced. Homes on higher ground appear untouched.
The loss of any of the park’s rental units will deal a big blow to the affordable senior housing in Hendersonville, Tallman said. The owner has worked to keep rents low, he said, with many tenants paying under $500 a month.
“Seniors were having a horrible time getting housing and this location is optimal because you know as we age, we can’t drive like we used to and everything is convenient and affordable,” Tallman said. “This is a centralized place that they can walk to the grocery store, to the doctor’s clinic. They can walk to nearly anything they need and if they want to go somewhere, they can get on the bus and go anywhere in town they need to go.”
In Henderson County, 44% of renters have difficulty affording their home, according to the North Carolina Housing Coalition. Families are considered “cost-burdened” when they spend more than 30% of income on housing and utilities.
Help comes too late for one resident
Tallman was rescued by first responders in boats after about eight hours in the water. Help came too late, however, for tenant Vicki Allen and her dog Sophie.
Allen was standing on her porch attempting to leave when strong winds and rushing water snapped it loose from her mobile home. She and Sophie were swept away in the fast-moving water.
“We found Sophie wedged in a tree behind one of the trailers and after the water receded. We found Vicki [Allen] out behind the workshop,” Tallman said.
Tallman had sternly warned Allen to stay put until the rescue boats arrived. He’d been in contact with rescuers off and on with a cell phone he placed on a ledge just out of reach of the rising water.
“I told her to not get into that water, because it was super contaminated and that it was moving faster than any professional swimmer can swim,” Tallman said. “I said, ‘If you get into that water, you’re a dead person.’”
Merrie Slusarczyk and Allen were friends. The night before the park flooded, Slusarczyk invited Allen to ride out the storm with her, but Allen declined. Slusarczyk lives in a part of the park that was mostly unharmed by the storm.
“She [Allen] wouldn’t go to people’s houses, she was funny,” said Slusarczyk, who also warned Allen to wait for rescue boats.
The 1940s-era mobile home park has flooded before but never to the extent that it did during Hurricane Helene, Slusarczyk said.
“I didn’t realize how bad the storm was going to be. No one did,” Slusarczyk said. “We’ve always had flooding. We’re on a flood plain, but we’ve never had to totally evacuate.”
The recovery continues
Throughout hard-hit parts of Hendersonville, large piles of storm debris and spoiled household goods serve as reminders of the havoc Helene wreaked on the small city of approximately 15,500 that is about 30 miles south of Asheville and 20 miles north of the South Carolina border.
At nearly every turn, dump trucks and earth moving equipment are busy with clean-up efforts.
Amid the chaotic, harried recovery, businesses and residents appear to be making considerable progress toward a return to normalcy.
The mobile home park is a short walk from Southside Square shopping center, which saw heavy flooding during the storm. The retail center is anchored by a Harris Teeter, which is closed for repairs. A mobile pharmacy has been set up in front of the grocery store so that customers can still pick up prescriptions.
Across the parking lot from the Harris Teeter, a UPS Store was doing brisk business from the sidewalk on a damp Wednesday morning. Inside the gutted store, workers were busy making repairs.
UPS store manager Corey Stanford said it is important for the store to continue to operate because it’s the only one in Hendersonville.
“We do hundreds and hundreds of shipments on any given day, and it would really be a disservice to the community if we weren’t here,” Stanford said. “We’ve been open pretty much since a week after the storm and operating on a temporary basis [from the sidewalk] but we should be fully opened next week.”
At the Henderson County Disaster Recovery Center in the Blue Ridge Commons complex on Asheville Highway, a steady stream of residents pour in each day to sign up for state, federal and local aid. The complex house’s FEMA’s disaster recovery operations.
Initially, residents showed up to apply for the FEMA’s $750 “Serious Need Assistance,” which is a direct payment to disaster survivors to use for emergency needs in the days after the storm.
The needs have changed as the recovery effort has begun to move to next phase.
“There’s a lot of people in hotels right now, and so, we had a housing crisis in this community before the storm. We had a lack of affordable housing and that hasn’t gotten better, so piecing together what that mid-range temporary housing is going to be is a need,” said Sarah Kowalak, a Henderson County emergency management planner who co-manages this disaster center.
Kowalak said that residents are now coming to the center for help with rebuilding private roads and bridges, which FEMA can help them with.
Disaster survivors are still seeking help with major repairs because many of them did not have flood insurance, she said.
La-Tanga Hopes, a public affairs specialist with FEMA, said the agency at one point saw 300 to 400 disaster survivors per day at the Henderson County recovery center. Since the beginning of the disaster Hopes said FEMA has “accommodated and provided services and funding” to 135,000 people.
“America being America”
Tallman chuckles when told that Slusarczyk calls him a hero.
“If you want to talk about unsung heroes, think of all the poor people who got hit like this and they went back to America being America,” Tillman said. “You’ve got neighbors helping each other get back on their feet and get back going.”
Like the SC Daily Gazette, NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. NC Newsline maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Rob Schofield for questions: info@ncnewsline.com. Follow NC Newsline on Facebook and X.
Investigative Reporter Greg Childress covers issues related to poverty, homelessness, and housing policy. NC Newsline is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
