SC storms cost millions in disaster relief. Here’s how much money McMaster will ask for By Joseph Bustos January 13, 2025 6:00 AM COLUMBIA, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster wants lawmakers to spend $240 million for disaster relief after a year that included Hurricane Helene ripping through the Upstate. The request, which will part of the governor’s executive budget, includes money to create a public assistance program to cover disaster costs that don’t qualify for federal assistance. The price tag to cover the Hurricane Helene costs, which killed 49 people in South Carolina, is less than initially estimated — especially from the Department of Transportation’s perspective, as initial projections did not take into account how much the federal government would help cover. McMaster, when he rolls out his executive budget proposal Monday, a day ahead of when lawmakers return for their legislative session, will ask for: ▪ $150 million a South Carolina Public Assistance program modeled after the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s assistance program. ▪ $50 million for S.C. DOT to cover unreimbursed costs to repairs roads and bridges and debris removal, and ▪ $40 million to replenish the Office of Resilience’s disaster relief and resilience fund and revolving loan fund. The governor wants the $150 million in one-time money to create a public assistance program. It would cover the local shares for costs from Hurricane Helene, Tropical Storm Debby and the floods in Edisto, and cover costs for future disasters that do not meet the threshold for a federal disaster declaration. Estimates of costs from these disaster events come in monthly to the state Emergency Management Division from local entities, but how much events ultimately cost takes a while to finalize. “The numbers change over time, they fluctuate. We get it from the individual applicants at the local level,” Emergency Management Division Director Kim Stenson said. “At some point we get better estimates later on, but right now these are driven by local estimates of what the costs are going to be in their particular areas.” McMaster wants the public assistance program to run like a grant program — making sure repair projects have properly applied for federal assistance, have estimates provided by contractors and will be accountable for how the money is spent. The public assistance program would be for local governments, public utilities, electric cooperatives, Santee Cooper and nonprofits or charitable organizations. In documents obtained by The State, the governor’s office prefers a public assistance grant program rather than lawmakers earmarking money for specific projects through the budget process. It’s a stance the governor has made in repeatedly in recent years. “To be transparent: Gov. McMaster will line item veto any earmarks that are related to disaster relief funding request entities that have not applied for federal assistance,” the governor’s budget proposal will say. The $50 million needed by the Department of Transportation also is less than anticipated. The South Carolina Department of Transportation’s first estimate of Hurricane Helene costs was $150 million, a number included in its annual budget request to cover unreimbursed costs from the storm including debris removal and damage to roads and bridges. That actual cost looks like it will be less than expected. Transportation Secretary Justin Powell said the initial estimate, which was submitted in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, was a rough estimate. As the state worked through the damage and debris cleanup, it cost less than thought. “We felt it was important to at least get something on the line and be able to say hey, now that we know a little more, we can adjust it down,” Powell said in an interview with The State. The Department of Transportation estimates about $90 million in bridge and road damage from the storm would be covered by the federal government either through the Federal Highway Administration program or the Federal Emergency Management Agency. For roads that are part of the Federal Highway Administration program, the federal government reimburses about 80% of the costs. In aftermath of Helene, more than 900 roads and bridges were closed due to storm-related damage, the SC DOT said. Among the most significant damage roads from the storm was U.S. 276 going up to Caesars Head in the Upstate and U.S. 76 over the Chauga River. The hefty cost also include debris removal. DOT and its contractors have picked up 3 million cubic yards of debris so far, Powell said. The work included cutting down 110,000 of trees that became hazards because they’re either leaned or hung over a right of way. So far, DOT has spent $64 million on debris removal, but the number is expected to increase. FEMA agreed to pay for 100% of the debris removal costs through January. “We’re working aggressively, we’re made some progress, but we know we still have more out there,” Powell said. The total transportation-related costs, including what the federal government would cover, was initially estimated at $600 million, but it’s coming in much lower and will be probably closer to $200 million to $300 million, Powell said. Powell added that the cost of clean up and repairs in South Carolina from Helene is much less than what North Carolina had to deal with. “We had a big bill, but it’s nowhere what they’re dealing with up there,” Powell said of North Carolina’s Helene costs. The $40 million for the office of resilience’s disaster relief funds will be used to replenish money used to pay for costs to help people obtain relief resources. The money was used in the immediate aftermath of the storm. Office of Resilience case managers help people find resources to meet their unmet needs such as finding housing, emotional issues or finding transportation through nonprofits. The office has a disaster reserve corps, mostly made up by retirees who were hired and trained to respond in the aftermath of a disaster, Chief Resilience Officer Ben Duncan said. “It is key in case of a disaster. If anything happens like in Florida, we could have two disasters in one year, that money is used to get started in the recovery process,” Duncan said. “It needs to be there for the next storm, or storms.” Federal assistance is expected to come to South Carolina to help with costs from the storm. The federal government, in a spending bill, approved $110 billion in disaster relief for communities affected by droughts and Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Part of the package includes $12 billion through the Department of Housing and Urban Development to assist local, state, and tribal governments recover from declared disasters. The HUD money can be used to primarily benefit low- and moderate-income households and communities to replace damaged affordable housing, repair and upgrade roads, water systems and utilities, provide assistance to small businesses and residents, and implement disaster mitigation measures, according to the federal agency. HUD has allocated $150 million for South Carolina, according to the federal agency. The Office of Resilience will help administer that money. About 440,000 people have applied for assistance in South Carolina after Hurricane Helene. “This storm is bigger than the other three storms, and with the individuals applying for individual assistance, the numbers are much higher than the previous three storms together combined,” Duncan said. Referring to the flood of 2015 caused by Hurricane Joaquin, Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018 Paying for costs related to Helene is one of the priorities for lawmakers whether it’s through the budget or separate spending bill. “First and foremost is we need to deal with aftermath of Hurricane Helene and those issues. And I the commend the executive agencies and the first responders who work diligently there, and it’s time for us to receive the bill,” House Speaker Murrell Smith told reporters in November.
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