Due to Helene’s impact on our state, Governor Henry McMaster asked for federal assistance through an expedited FEMA disaster declaration to help people impacted by the storm. Yesterday morning, Gov. Henry McMaster announced the approval for the assistance, releasing federal aid and local recovery efforts for counties across the state.
In yesterday afternoon’s briefing, energy officials shared they hope everyone will have power back by Friday at the latest in the Midlands.
Individual assistance
So far, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) approved Individual Assistance programs for the following counties which provide financial assistance for those who incurred uninsured damages to their property:
- Aiken
- Anderson
- Bamberg
- Barnwell
- Cherokee
- Greenville
- Greenwood
- Lexington
- Newberry
- Oconee
- Pickens
- Saluda
- Spartanburg
This program also includes business owners as well. Register online or use the FEMA App to apply for assistance.
Public assistance
FEMA also approved Public Assistance for the following counties which will aid in debris removal. States + affected local governments can apply for federal funding to pay 75 percent of approved costs.
- Aiken
- Anderson
- Bamberg
- Barnwell
- Cherokee
- Greenville
- Greenwood
- Newberry
- Oconee
- Pickens
- Saluda
- Spartanburg
The declaration included + approved Hazard Mitigation Grant program assistance, which allows state agencies, local governments, and certain nonprofit organizations to apply for various projects to help mitigate future natural disaster risks using cost-shared funding.
Local resources
Still having power or flood issues?
- Report outages to Dominion Energy + Duke Energy, and check this frequently updated power outage map.
- For help with flood-related damage, check out the SC Emergency Management System or Disaster Assistance.
- The City of Columbia encourages folks to call 803-545-3300 for non-emergency calls or to report fallen trees.
- South Carolina emergency officials also launched a hotline for you to get your questions answered about the aftermath of Helene. Call 1-866-246-0133 with questions.
- Watch Gov. Henry McMaster’s media briefing, sharing updates on the state’s response to Helene.
- Watch the Columbia official’s media briefing, providing local updates about the impacts of Helene.
Helene’s impact by the numbers
As clean-up continues, we’re looking at river levels, wind gusts + rain totals from Helene’s historic weather impact.
Rainfall totals | Heavy rainfall totals in the Midlands received anywhere from 8"-10" of rainfall.
Wind gusts | Columbia experienced wind speeds of ~45 mph and the highest wind gust was reported at 67 mph on Friday, Sept. 27.
River levels | Since last Thursday, river levels in the Midlands have continued to rise but river levels are expected to lower by the end of the week.
- The Congaree crested around ~31 ft yesterday afternoon, above the major flooding level.
- The Saluda reached ~15.5ft
