Laurens County Launches Damage Assessment Efforts Following Severe Storm; Public Assistance and Supplies Available This Week
September 30, 2024
After working non-stop through the weekend ensuring life and safety needs were attended to, Laurens County officials, staff, and volunteers gathered today to coordinate the initial property damage assessment process following the recent severe storm that impacted the area. The meeting with South Carolina Emergency Management and Laurens County Emergency Management covered key details about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) thresholds for public assistance, as well as the classification criteria for assessing damages to homes and businesses. Residents should expect to see assessors out in various areas beginning today through this week.
County Administrator Thomas Higgs explained, “This is a true team effort as we work to document the impact across Laurens County. Our local damage assessment teams, comprised of staff from various departments as well as volunteers, will be the eyes and ears on the ground in the days ahead.”
The teams will be classifying damages, which will help determine the overall impact and potential eligibility for state and federal disaster assistance programs. Residents are encouraged to work with the assessment teams as they canvass neighborhoods.
In addition to the damage assessments, county officials have coordinated with the South Carolina Emergency Division to provide the public with supplies tentatively beginning Wednesday, October 2nd. MREs, water, and tarps will be available for drive-thru pickup between 10AM and 7PM in the Voter Registration parking lot (105 Bolt Dr. Laurens). We will notify the public when the items are available.
“This is a challenging time for our community and all of our county teams as well as municipal and utility partners have been working nonstop to take care of the needs of Laurens County citizens,” said County Council Chairman Brown Patterson. “By working together with our community, we can accomplish more and work toward recovering from this devastating storm.”
Our federal and state counterparts are assisting us with these efforts.
The First Methodist Church located at 244 W. Main Street in Laurens is currently serving as a shelter for those in need. The church will remain open until 8am tomorrow, October 1st, at which time the Ridge at 301 Exchange Drive will serve as the shelter location.
Laurens County will continue to provide updates when possible.
