LAKE CITY, SC (WBTW) – The American Red Cross says they’re still in recovery mode in most parts of Florence County from the flood that hit three weeks ago
So far, the organization has helped with 321 cases where families are asking for help.
Today, a new resource center opened in Lake City, and there, families say they’re now having to deal with a new problem.
Mary McNair says now that the flood waters are gone, mold and mildew are setting in inside her home.
“The mold is coming in the side door. You can smell the mold, and even in the back bedrooms, you can smell the mold,” said McNair.
Her daughter, Zandra McNair, is allergic to the mold, and it’s insider her walls.
“The entire wall was soft, and it’s still kind of soft in this area and up there,” said Zandra.
Lake City College Prep Academy Principal Deloris Brown says the McNairs aren’t the only ones.
“It’s this time that we start seeing a lot of mildew. People start complaining. We have kids that are out sick because of it,” said Brown.
Brown says that’s why the school asked the Red Cross to come to Lake City, to give those families the supplies they need to recover.
“All you need to do is look at the line of cars here to see what the need still is and how much need there still is,” said American Red Cross Representative Jay Bonafede.
The need was there because even three weeks after the flood, donations went out just as quickly as they came in the center.
The Red Cross says they will be in Lake City as long as the need is still there. The center is located at Mt. Claire Missionary Baptist Church 1009 East Main Street, Lake City.
So far, the American Red Cross estimates they’ve spent between five to eight million dollars helping South Carolina Flood victims.
In Florence County, the Red Cross is currently working on 76 open cases where they are helping families apply for assistance through FEMA. They organization also reports they have 199 reviewed cases and 46 closed cases.
