COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) -- Richland County residents are not eligible right now to apply for emergency assistance under the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Assistance from FEMA can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, along with other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from Hurricane Helene.
Federal funding is available in the Midlands for residents in three counties -- Lexington, Newberry and Saluda counties.
Gov. Henry McMaster said in a briefing with FEMA on Monday that his office is still waiting on information from other South Carolina counties to submit to FEMA. He called on county officials and their emergency management divisions to submit information to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division so that assistance can be granted.
"The counties themselves must send in the information here for us to transmit it to FEMA. It doesn't work any other way. If incorrect or fraudulent information is sent in, that is a federal crime," he said. "We cannot send it information in unless it is sent in to us, and it's got to be accurate, and most counties have not sent anything in ... So, county officials, once you get that information, and we have that information, we will get it right in."
A spokesperson with the South Carolina Emergency Management Division said Richland County was not on their original list for individual assistance, but it can still be added to the declaration once "damage information is available."
"Disaster assessments are ongoing, and additional evaluations will be conducted by the county, state officials, and FEMA," a statement from SCEMD said. "Based on these assessments, there is potential for Richland County to be added for the Individual Assistance program. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division is coordinating with the Richland County Emergency Services Department regarding damage assessment information."
The county said it will start damage assessments and make an effort to get added to the assistance list once their "emergency response phase" is complete, a statement from Richland County officials said.
Rep. Heather Bauer, D-Richland, reached out to McMaster's office in a letter to ask why Richland County was not on the initial list to receive FEMA funds.
In her response, the governor's office said once the proper paperwork has been received, they will add Richland County to the final list to submit to FEMA to get the appropriate funding.
The full statement from Richland County officials says:
Richland County's Emergency Management Division continues active operations to ensure the safety of our residents and the communities we serve amid the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene.
The South Carolina counties initially identified to receive federal emergency assistance were determined by the S.C. Emergency Management Division upon consideration of several factors, such as damage severity and the urgency of needs in the most impacted areas. While Richland County was not on the initial list for either federal public or individual assistance, the lists are not final.