United Way seeks $2 million to fix flood-damaged Midlands homes

An ambitious fundraiser announced Monday aims to raise $2 million to repair flood-damaged homes across the Columbia area in the next year.

Restoring Hope, a campaign by United Way of the Midlands, aims to repair 250 flood-damaged homes.

United Way has led 45 local organizations as the Midlands Flood Recovery Group, making repairs to 86 flood-damaged homes in Richland and Lexington counties durign the past year.

The flood came after record rainfall Oct. 4 a year ago.

“We need the same energy, the same enthusiasm, that this community – the Midlands – demonstrated on Oct. 5,” said Mac Bennett, United Way chief executive officer. “We need to restore that for the next year so that we can get more families settled back into their homes.”

Such help is sorely needed, Columbia lawyer Michael Seezen said.

Seezen and his family had to repair their Forest Acres home after a tree fell on the roof and water damage rendered several rooms uninhabitable. “I can’t imagine being out of my house for almost a year,” he said.

Repairing 250 homes will just scratch the surface of the damage done by the flood. Richland and Lexington counties have more than 1,200 households in need of such help, according to the United Way.

This story was originally published October 3, 2016 at 4:01 PM.