As nearly 300 state, federal and voluntary partners cooperate to aid South Carolina’s citizens, the scope of the flooding and its impact are coming into sharp focus.
As of Wednesday night, residents of 16 counties (Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter, Williamsburg, Calhoun, Darlington, Florence, Kershaw and Lee) are eligible for Individual Assistance from federal authorities.
Survivors who sustained losses in the designated counties can apply for assistance by registering online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362. Disaster assistance applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing should call 800-462-7585 (TTY); those who use Video Relay Service may call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week until further notice.
As of 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday, October 07, 2015:
- Currently 267 SCDOT roads closed and 134 SCDOT bridges closed
- 23 open shelters with 2 on standby. Occupancy stands at 551
- Fewer than 200 power outages statewide
- PIPS call center: 6,700 calls from public answered to date
- SC Highway Patrol calls for assistance since Start of Operations: 4,926
- Total Collisions since Start of Operations: 2,122
- 15 fatalities attributed to the flooding
Statement from Commissioner Hugh Weathers about Rain Damage
Seeing the devastation was the first step in the long process of assessing the impact on agriculture in South Carolina. After completing the tour, I joined staff from S.C. Department of Agriculture (SCDA), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) and Clemson Extension Service to begin initial damage assessments. At this point, conservative early estimates are that direct crop losses from the recent flood may exceed $300 million.
