Thousands in South Carolina applied for federal disaster aid just before deadline

Thousands of South Carolina residents affected by the historic Oct. 4 storm waited until the last possible day to apply for federal disaster assistance.

Nearly 2,000 residents on Monday registered for aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, spokesman Carl Henderson said. That was a significant jump from the 100-200 registrations per day FEMA had received recently, Henderson said.

More than 101,600 South Carolina residents ultimately registered with FEMA after the historic Oct. 4 rains and flooding, Henderson said. FEMA so far has approved roughly $79.5 million in aid for individuals and households, though that number should rise as registrations are processed and applicants appeal denial letters, Henderson said.

Nearly 400 residents on Monday applied for U.S. Small Business Administration loans at disaster recovery centers throughout the state, spokeswoman Mary Gipson said. That number doesn’t include online or mail-in applications.

The SBA has received nearly 11,700 applications and so far has approved nearly $123 million in low-interest loans to residents affected by the flood, Gipson said.

Dec. 4 was the original application deadline, but Gov. Nikki Haley requested and was granted a 30-day extension because hundreds of South Carolina residents still were applying daily for federal assistance. Henderson said FEMA over the weekend asked media outlets in disaster-designated counties to remind residents of the upcoming deadline.

Disaster recovery centers with FEMA and U.S. Small Business Administration representatives will remain open at least for the next few days, Henderson said. Those centers, available to assist residents who already have applied, can be found at http://asd.fema.gov/inter/locator/home.htm.

This story was originally published January 5, 2016 at 2:28 PM with the headline "Thousands in South Carolina applied for federal disaster aid just before deadline."