For Immediate Release
Final damage assessment numbers
FLORENCE COUNTY, S.C. – Following a three day damage assessment for Florence County last week, the assessments revealed total dollar damage in Florence County to private property, businesses, churches and government facilities at $52,481,667.
This number was generated by our damage assessment teams that consist of officials from the Florence County Building and Planning, Tax Assessors Office, GIS and Emergency Management.
Teams identified 59 homes which were destroyed, 133 with major damage and 2,014 with minor damage. The teams also identified 32 businesses which were destroyed, 24 with major damage and 214 with minor damage.
On Monday, October 17, Florence County was one of the 15 counties approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Individual Assistance. This means Florence County residence seeking assistance to include: money for temporary rental assistance and essential home repairs for primary homes, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help survivors recover from the effects of the disaster can apply with FEMA for assistance.
Individuals seeking assistance can register online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362. Disaster assistance applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing should call 800-462-7585 (TTY); those who use Video Relay Service may call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate 7 AM to 10 PM seven days a week until further notice.
FEMA representatives are also currently in the county and will be going door to door to assist with the application process. If a FEMA representative comes to your home please make sure that they have proper identification.
The county is currently working with FEMA to identify Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) locations in both Lake City and Florence. These centers are expected to be open by Saturday, October 22. Once the centers have been identified, the locations will be pushed via our social media sites and the local media.
In addition, Florence County has been approved for Public Assistance which is for county and municipal government.
-END-