COLUMBIA, S.C. — President Joe Biden has approved South Carolina's state of emergency declaration, opening the doors for assistance from the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in the wake of damages done by Hurricane Idalia.
This action came almost a day after Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency in South Carolina in anticipation of the effects of Hurricane Idalia as it made landfall in the Florida Gulf and moved toward this state.
McMaster said he made the declaration "out of an abundance of caution," saying the declaration allows all of the state's agencies to move more quickly, to move people and equipment, and remove restrictions, if necessary, that slow things down.
While S.C. Emergency Management Division (SCEMD) will be coordinating with all relevant state agencies to respond to any requests for state assistance from local and county officials, FEMA will be authorized to "identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency."
Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, under the public assistance program, will be provided at 75% federal funding to Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Sumter and Williamsburg counties.
Emergency protective measures limited to direct federal assistance under the public assistance program will be provided at 75% federal funding to Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Cherokee, Chester, Chesterfield, Edgefield, Fairfield, Greenville, Greenwood, Kershaw, Lancaster, Laurens, Lexington, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee, Pickens, Richland, Saluda, Spartanburg, Union and York counties.
Flooding was a primary concern with Idalia, especially along the coast, where the hurricane combined with king tides and the pull of a full moon to produce higher-than-normal water levels. Tornadoes were spotted near Folly Beach as Idalia passed through Wednesday afternoon, and, nearer in the Midlands, about 13 inches of rain was reported to have fallen near Holly Hill.
