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Sumter,
SC
–
As
the
Lowcountry
of
South
Carolina
braces
for
more
flooding
tomorrow
and
this
weekend,
U.S.
Senator
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
today
encouraged
residents
to
evacuate
areas
deemed
at
high-risk
by
Governor
Haley
and
state
officials.
In
the
next
12
hours,
Georgetown
will
begin
to
see
waters
rising
in
the
Waccamaw
River,
and
Pawley’s
Island,
Jamestown
and
areas
below
Givhans
Ferry
are
preparing
for
serious
flooding.
Multiple
communities
along
rivers
across
the
state,
including
the
Santee,
Edisto
and
Ashley
rivers,
are
also
in
danger.
Flooding
in
parts
of
the
Lowcountry
is
expected
to
last
for
up
to
12
days.
At
stops
today
in
Sumter,
S.C.
and
Manning,
S.C.,
Senator
Scott
also
highlighted
various
recovery
assistance
options
for
South
Carolina
communities.
Individuals
and
households
impacted
flooding
in
sixteen
counties
can
now
apply
online
at
www.DisasterAssistance.gov or
by
calling
1-800-621-FEMA
(3362).
Individual
Assistance
(IA)
is
currently
available
for
individuals
and
households
in
Berkley,
Calhoun,
Charleston,
Clarendon,
Dorchester,
Darlington,
Florence,
Georgetown,
Horry,
Lee,
Lexington,
Kershaw,
Orangeburg,
Richland,
Sumter
and
Williamsburg
that
were
impacted
by
severe
storms
and
flooding
on
October
1,
2015
and
onward.
Individuals
and
Households
in
impacted
counties
that
have
yet
to
be
declared
eligible
by
the
Obama
Administration
for
assistance
are
still
encouraged
to
begin
the
process
of
registering
with
FEMA
for
possible
future
relief.
The
state
and
federal
government
continue
to
assess
damage
in
additional
counties.
Public
Assistance
(PA)
is
currently
available
for
State,
Tribal
and
local
governments,
and
certain
types
of
nonprofit
organizations
to
provide
assistance
for emergency
work
and
the
repair
or
replacement
of
disaster-damaged
facilities
in
Berkeley,
Charleston,
Clarendon,
Dorchester,
Georgetown,
Horry,
Lexington,
Orangeburg,
Richland,
Sumter,
and
Williamsburg
Counties.
Various
programs
currently
available,
include:
Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency
(FEMA) -
This
is
the
Federal
agency
primarily
tasked
with
assisting
in
disaster.
Its
main
Individual
Assistance
Program
is
the
Individual
and
Households
Program
(IHP).
The
maximum
IHP
award
during
the
Federal
fiscal
year
2015
is
$32,900.
The
award
amount
is
adjusted
each
year
on
October
1
to
reflect
the
Consumer
Price
Index.
This
award
is
not
dependent
on
the
ability
to
repay
a
loan.
- Housing
Assistance:
Those
who
are
displaced
from
their
primary
residence
and
are
uninsured
or
under-insured
may
be
eligible
for
assistance.
This
assistance
includes
temporary
housing,
housing
repair,
housing
replacement,
and
in
rare
instances
permanent
and
semi-permanent
housing.
- Other
Needs
Assistance:
This
may
be
used
for
medical,
dental,
and
funeral
expenses
caused
by
the
disaster.
Personal
property,
transportation,
and
moving
and
storage
assistance
may
also
be
eligible
after
submitting
a
SBA
loan
application.
This
assistance
is
a
cost
share
between
FEMA
and
the
State.
- Disaster
Legal
Services:
Low-income
disaster
survivors
that
have
disaster-related
legal
needs
including
contractor
issues,
insurance
claims,
replacing
legal
documents,
and
landlord/tenant
issues.
- Disaster
Unemployment
Assistance:
Unemployment
and
re-employment
assistance
is
available
to
individuals
who
lost
their
business
or
job
due
to
the
disaster.
- Crisis
Counseling
Assistance:
A
wide
range
of
services
are
available
to
assist
individuals
and
communities
in
recovering
from
disasters.
Small
Business
Administration
(SBA) -
In
federally
declared
disasters,
as
well
as
in
non-federally
declared
disasters
that
meet
certain
thresholds,
the
SBA
can
provide
loans
to
individuals
and
businesses
that
have
sustained
disaster-related
property
or
equipment
damage,
who
have
suffered
a
loss
of
income,
or
who
need
additional
funding
to
cover
operating
expenses
while
working
to
reopen.
- Home
Physical
Disaster
Loans:
Homeowners
and
renters
may
apply
for
this
loan
to
repair
or
replace
real
estate
and/or
personal
property
damaged
by
a
disaster.
- Business
Physical
Disaster
Loans:
Businesses
of
any
size
may
apply
for
this
loan
to
repair
or
replace
property
owned
by
the
business
that
was
damaged
by
a
disaster.
- Economic
Injury
Disaster
Loans:
Working
capital
loans
for
small
businesses,
small
agriculture
cooperatives,
and
many
non-profit
organizations
affected
by
disaster
to
meet
their
financial
obligations.
These
loans
assist
through
the
disaster
recovery
period.
United
States
Department
of
Agriculture
Farm
Service
Agency
(USDA
FSA) -
The
USDA
FSA
provides
assistance
in
the
event
of
crop
loss,
livestock
loss,
or
damage
to
farm
property
resulting
from
drought,
flood,
fire,
freeze,
tornadoes,
pest
infestation,
and
other
emergencies.
Internal
Revenue
Service
(IRS) - After
a
disaster,
the
IRS
is
sometimes
able
to
provide
tax
relief,
adjustments,
filing
deadline
extensions,
and
refunds
to
help
taxpayers
and
businesses
recover
financially
from
the
impact
of
a
disaster.
Immediately
following
the
storms
and
flooding,
when
the
federal
government
approved
South
Carolina’s
request
for
a
Major
Disaster
Declaration,
Senator
Scott
created
a
special
page
on
his
Senate
website
(scott.senate.gov/FEMA)
with
information
for
individuals
and
families
about
the
FEMA
process.
This
page
will
continue
to
be
updated
as
additional
information
becomes
available.
Caseworkers
in
all
of
his
state
offices
are
also
available
to
assist
residents
with
issues
that
may
arise
after
submitting
their
application.
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