South Carolina needs financial help for individuals as well as the state’s agencies and local governments to recover from Hurricane Matthew, Rep. Mark Sanford told President Barack Obama in a letter signed by the entire delegation on Friday.
“Hurricane Matthew is one of the most damaging storms in South Carolina in recent memory, and many areas in the state are still in the process of recovering from the flooding caused by Hurricane Joaquin last October,” Sanford wrote in the letter to the president. “[Individual assistance] is critical to ensure that South Carolina families have the necessary resources to fully recover.”
Touring the Lowcountry this week, I’ve seen firsthand the damage left in Matthew’s wake, and the level of destruction and damage in some areas is breathtaking.
Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C.
Sanford’s letter urging the president to speed up FEMA’s assessment was signed by the entire delegation: Sens. Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, and Reps. Joe Wilson, Jeff Duncan, Trey Gowdy, Mick Mulvaney, Jim Clyburn, and Tom Rice,
Obama issued a major disaster declaration for 13 counties in South Carolina earlier this week, which provides federal assistance to state agencies and local governments to repair and recover from Hurricane Matthew. It covers up to 75 percent of the cost for debris removal and emergency services in the aftermath of the storm.
75 percentCost of eligible debris removal and emergency services covered by FEMA under federal disaster declaration
Gov. Nikki Haley requested the declaration for Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Horry, Jasper, Marion and Williamsburg counties.
The declaration does not yet include individual assistance, which would extend financial help to individuals and homeowners affected by the storm. Sanford’s letter on Friday backed Haley’s call to speed up the assessment that would grant that individual aid, which is granted based on the extent of the damage to uninsured homes and businesses in storm-afflicted areas.
$157 million Federal aid granted for flood recovery in South Carolina in 2015
“Many people need help, and they need it now,” Sanford said in a statement on Friday, calling the level of destruction left by the Category 1 storm “breathtaking,” especially in his Lowcountry home district.
If the request for individual assistance is granted, affected residents in those 13 counties can apply for grants for temporary housing, home repairs, rental assistance, repairing damaged property, and serious disaster-related needs like medical expenses, according to FEMA.
Granting individual aid would also mean that South Carolinians affected by the storm would have an extension on IRS deadlines to file certain individual and business tax returns, giving them until March 15, 2017.
In last year’s historic floods, residents did receive individual assistance for the recovery. South Carolina received $157 million in federal aid to recover from the flood.
The state’s neighbor North Carolina is also suffering from major flooding from Hurricane Matthew, and requested and received federal disaster declaration for 31 counties this week.
Vera Bergengruen: 202-383-6036, @verambergen
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