Staff Report //September 21, 2018//
Hurricane Florence missed much of the tri-county region last week, but the threat of flooding continues for much of the Pee Dee and S.C. coast, and many communities are still reeling from the storm’s impacts.
Flooding has made roads impassable. Many are without power. Supplies are low or inaccessible in some areas. Officials estimate as many as 30,000 people could be in the path of flooding still to come this weekend.
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Gov. Henry McMaster sent a letter to the S.C. congressional delegation on Thursday requesting $1.2 billion in federal disaster relief for 23 S.C. counties affected by Hurricane Florence.
And President Donald Trump has declared eight S.C. counties eligible for reimbursement through the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s public assistance program for costs associated with emergency actions during the storm.
The Lowcountry Food Bank in North Charleston is working to bring food into the affected areas. It has already prepped and distributed more than 74,000 meals for people.
The food bank now needs volunteers to help assemble 7,500 disaster-relief food boxes for distribution in Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties.
“We are in need of volunteers for this week, including Saturday and Sunday, to assist us in assembling these boxes that will be critical to our neighbors who are facing dangerous, rising waters and lack of access to food and water in Horry, Georgetown and Williamsburg counties,” said Pat Walker, president and CEO of Lowcountry Food Bank, in an email.
Monetary donations can be made online.