Columbia mayor Benjamin travels to Washington D.C. to request more flood recovery funding

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin and Sumter Mayor Joe McElveen were in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday seeking more federal flood recovery money, the City of Sumter said.

The trip was made in “an effort to shed light to the recovery effort and needs from the October 2015 flood,” according to a news release.

The release does not say whom Benjamin met with there, though it says McElveen made a presentation to Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro on the damage Sumter suffered during the historic Oct. 4 storm.

The flood caused an estimated $134 million in damage to the capital city.

McElveen also asked for more aid from White House officials as well as from U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia, the release said.