South Carolina will get some money for relief from the October flood in the new federal budget that is expected to pass soon.
How much the state, which suffered an estimated $1.4 billion in damage from the storm, will receive is unclear.
Congress has set aside $300 million in federal aid for disasters in South Carolina, Texas and other states, according to the offices of U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Seneca, and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-Columbia.
To get the money, Gov. Nikki Haley needs to submit a request to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development saying how the state would spend it, congressional officials said. HUD then would decide how much of the $300 million that South Carolina should get.
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The money could go toward helping South Carolinians repair or rebuild their homes when insurance payments prove inadequate. Haley has asked for $140 million in federal aid to repair 2,600 homes owned by low- and moderate- income families.
But S.C. farmers also want flood-relief money to cover their uninsured crop losses. Graham, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-North Charleston, and U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, R-Myrtle Beach, suggested in statements that Haley should apply for aid for farmers.
“I strongly support the ability of farmers to access disaster-relief funds for non-covered losses,” Graham said in a statement. “Farmers are critical to the sovereignty and security of our nation.”
Haley, a Lexington Republican, has rejected calls by farmers to help cover their uninsured losses, saying she does not favor giving aid to one group of businesses over another.
S.C. farmers lost an estimated $376 million in the storm. Most were insured for about 70 percent of their crop losses.
Parts of South Carolina were drenched with as much as two feet of rain in early October, flooding coastal areas and breaking more than 20 dams in the Midlands. Some areas around Columbia received a foot of rain in a single day — more than the previous three months combined.
Residents and businesses in nearly half of the state’s 46 counties were eligible to request assistance after the flood from the federal government, and more than 95,000 South Carolinians sought federal aid. But that aid sometimes does not cover losses.
The Federal Emergency Management Administration can grant up to $33,000 per household. The Small Business Administration can issue low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and businesses.
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