LAKE CITY, SC (WBTW) – Nearly 100 people gathered together in Lake City Monday night to meet with City Officials and representatives from FEMA to answer questions about flood damages.
It was a night filled with questions as residents try to figure out how to rebuild and move on after losing everything to the flood.
Reverend Amiri Hooker says he’s dealing with the recovery process first-hand with this congregation.
“A lot of people are bringing their paperwork to the church asking ‘What can you do about that?’. That was one of the reasons I wanted to come here tonight, to find out a little information for myself so I could turn around and give it back to the people because they really need to know, you know, that there are people out there that care,“ said Hooker.
Adriane Laneave with the Small Business Disaster Assistance program says that’s why her group along with FEMA met with residents Monday, to answer those questions and offer that care.
“It’s incredibly important for survivors to be able to visually see the process. It’s nice that, especially with the SBA, that we’re able to stand next to our FEMA partners and they can be able to visually see what services are available. It’s also a reminder that you’re not alone. Survivors, you’ve got the help, we’re here, we have left our families, and we’ve come, we’ve been active, and we’re going to be here as long as it takes to get you through the roughest time that you’ve ever had in your life,” said Laneave.
City Administrator Shawn Bell says he hopes that Monday’s meeting was an opportunity for residents to be able to get answers to some of their questions and he hopes residents will take home one thing.
“If you have any doubts at all on whether you have any damage to your property or to your home or anything, definitely go ahead and get registered with FEMA. You know, there’s really no harm done in getting registered. Go ahead and do that, and we’ll get an inspector out there and go from there,” said Bell.
Bell says the city will continue to work with FEMA and SBA Disaster Assistance to help residents during the rebuilding process.
Survivors in the designated South Carolina counties can register online. Applicants may also call 800-621-3362 or (TTY) 800-462-7585. If you use Video Relay Services, call 800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 24 hours a day until further notice. Multilingual operators are available.
Assistance can include money for temporary housing and essential home repairs, and for other serious disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses or funeral and burial costs. Low-interest disaster loans from the Small Business Administration may also be available to cover losses not fully compensated by insurance.
South Carolina survivors should register with FEMA even if they have insurance. FEMA cannot duplicate insurance payments, but under-insured applicants may receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.
For questions about flood insurance, National Flood Insurance Program policyholders can call 800-621-3362, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice. Registering with FEMA is required for federal aid, even if a survivor has registered with another disaster-relief organization. FEMA registrants must use the name that appears on their Social Security card.
Applicants will be asked for the following information:
- Social Security number
- Address of the damaged home or apartment
- Description of the damage
- Information about insurance coverage
- A current contact telephone number
- An address where they can receive mail
- Bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit of funds
If you’ve already applied for FEMA and have been denied, there is no need to re-apply. You can dispute your denial with FEMA by calling 800-621-3362.
