LEXINGTON, S.C. — Over two dozen people are now closer to getting help from damage caused by Helene. That's about how many people came out to take advantage of an event earlier Saturday afternoon with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Disaster Survivor Assistance Program.
“I have 19 trees, you know, probably about 30-inch diameter, trees that are down on my property, two of which went into my home," said Lexington resident Erik Garner. "One destroyed one of our vehicles. So it's just trying to get help to whatever my insurance may not cover and support for the loss on the property."
Erik Gardner showed up Saturday looking for help covering damage his insurance wouldn't pay for. That is the goal of FEMA's Disaster Survivor Assistance Team in Lexington. They want to help people affected by Helene by at least registering them in the system. FEMA officials say they have noticed that people are missing questions and making application mistakes.
“I tried to do the online before coming here, and that was problematic with the technology," said Gardner. "The online website wasn't working very well, but coming here with the mobile registration team that they have here, they were able to actually help me get through the online registration piece."
FEMA officials say their latest numbers show they've disbursed more than $106 million in housing and other assistance to more than 150,000 South Carolina households.
“Go to DisasterAssistance.gov. That's the first thing," FEMA spokesperson Tiana Suber said. "The second thing is, if you don't have internet access or you prefer to talk to somebody over the phone, our hotline number [is 1-800-621-3362]. We also have our FEMA mobile app as well, and if you talk to your emergency managers or your county officials, they will let you know ... if a Disaster Survivor Assistance Team is in your area, where you can come and talk to us in person."
FEMA officials said residents only need to apply with FEMA once and to beware of fraud. FEMA will need to determine the ownership and occupancy of damaged primary residences using documents like utility bills, rent receipts, original deeds, and mortgage statements.
The public can also go to the FEMA website to debunk any rumors. Since September, the FEMA teams have helped register almost 3,000 people throughout the entire state.
