More S.C. counties are approved for federal assistance; recovery centers open

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Updated at noon Wednesday

A disaster recovery center opened today in Darlington County at the National Guard Armory located at 1764 Harry Byrd Highway in Darlington. It will be open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m and on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. until 6 p.m. 

Updated at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday

Updated at 11 a.m. Thursday

Disaster recovery centers offering in-person support to invididuals and businesses affected by Hurricane Florence will open in three more S.C. counties.

A center will open today in Marion, tomorrow in Marlboro and Sunday in Georgetown. 

Staffed by state and federal recovery specialists, the centers will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Monday-Friday and from 9 a.m. until 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Their locations are: 

Marion County: Marion County Industrial Park, 2914 Spartan Place, Marion

Marlboro County: Marian Wright Edelman Public Library, 203 Fayetteville Ave., Bennettsville

Georgetown County: Waccamaw Regional Recreation Center, 83 Duncan Ave., Pawleys Island

Updated at 2 p.m. Tuesday

Residents in Florence and Darlington counties are now eligible to apply for individual assistance from the Federal Emergency Managament Agency for damages suffered as a result of Hurricane Florence. Residents in Chesterfield, Dillon, Georgetown, Horry, Marion and Marlboro counties were previously made eligible for individual disaster assistance. 

Updated at 1:30 p.m. Monday

Flood disaster recovery centers will open tomorrow in three counties with state and federal representatives on hand to explain assistance available to those affected by Hurricane Florence. The centers will open in Cheraw, Dillon and Conway. Other centers will open soon, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster's office said. 

The centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Locations are: 

Chesterfield County: Northeast Technical College, Building 200, 1201 Chesterfield Highway, Cheraw. 

Dillon County: City of Dillon Wellness Center, 1647 Commerce Drive, Dillon.

Horry County: Horry Georgetown Technical College, 2050 U.S. 501, Conway. 

Updated at 11 a.m. Wednesday

As flood waters continued to rise in the Pee Dee region and coastal areas of the state, officials urged residents to remain patient but to file for any federal assistance as soon as possible. 

At a briefing today, S.C. Emergency Management Division director Kim Stinson said around 11,000 people have been relocated statewide because of flooding concerns from Florence, a storm which hit Wrightsville Beach, N.C., as a Category 1 hurricane on Sept. 14 before stalling over areas of the Carolinas and dumping torrential amounts of rain. That water continues to make its way into the Pee Dee River Basin and parts of Horry and Georgetown counties, where rivers are expected to crest at record levels Thursday. 

Stinson said around 1,000 homes have sustained major damage so far from the storm and 46 have been destroyed. He and Federal Emergency Management Agency representatives urged those affected by the flooding to follow the instructions of local emergency officials and to begin the process of cleaning up and filing for FEMA relief as soon as safely possible.  

"This is unfolding," Stinson said. "We're still doing recovery operations."

Also Wednesday, Georgetown County was added to the list of counties whose residents can file for individual federal assistance for storm-related losses, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster said. Georgeotwn residents are also now eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance funds through the unemployment insurance benefits system.

A FEMA spokeswoman said that as of Wednesday, more than 4,000 people have registered for federal relief, with more than $750,000 in such funds approved. 

Updated at 4:50 p.m. Tuesday 

Chesterfield has been added to the list of counties where residents are eligible to apply for individual federal assistance for losses suffered during Hurricane Florence. Chesterfield County residents are also eligible to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance funds. 

Updated at 4:50 p.m. Monday

The S.C. Department of Transportation has been approved to receive $8 million in Federal Highway Administration “quick release” emergency funds.

Gov. Henry McMaster spoke with U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao on Friday afternoon, McMaster’s office said in a news release.

S.C. Transportation Secretary Christy Hall said the state DOT will be able to put contractors to work immediately repairing damage to highway infrastructure from Hurricane Florence.

“This is a great step forward in getting our highway system back to where it was before the storm and the flooding struck our state,” Hall said.

Also on Friday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that homeowners, renters and business owners in Dillon, Horry, Marion and Marlboro counties are eligible to apply for individual assistance for losses and damages from the storm.

Residents in those four counties are also now eligible to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance funds, the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce said Monday. Other counties may be declared eligible as damage from the storm continues to be assessed.

The unemployment funds are also available to small business owners and self-employed workers who lost personal income because of the storm.

To apply through the unemployment insurance benefits system, visit dew.sc.gov and click the MyBenefits login. The application deadline is Oct. 24. For more information, call 866-831-1724.

Ten S.C. counties have been designated for FEMA public assistance funds available to state and local governments and certain nonprofits: Berkeley, Charleston, Dillon, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg and Williamsburg.

In a news release, FEMA advised residents to file flood insurance claims before applying for federal disaster assistance. Any damage must have occurred as a result of the storm, dating from Sept. 8, the release said.

More information is available at DisasterAssistance.gov or 800-621-3362. Applications for long-term, low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration are available at DisasterLoan.sba.gov or 800-659-2955.

On Monday, the S.C. Emergency Response Team advised limiting travel to Horry and Georgetown counties during the next few days amid ongoing flood concerns. The organization warned of delays and changing conditions on highways including U.S. 501, U.S. 17 and S.C. 22.

Nine people have died as a result of the storm across the state, the response team said in a news release. The logistics team of the S.C. Emergency Management Division has received more than 1,400 requests for resources from county emergency managers, the release said, and 199 people remain in 13 shelters.

The S.C. DOT has reported 151 road closures, including 53 bridges. Interstate 95 is open to the N.C. state line.