Work From Home

Laurens County, South Carolina, officials on Monday released new information on the county’s effort to secure state and federal assistance for damage resident incurred from Tropical Storm Helene.(Above video is the latest South Carolina news conference from Monday afternoon.)FEMA announced earlier on Monday that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of South Carolina to supplement recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Helene from Sept. 25, 2024 and continuing. Read more about that here.Laurens County was not listed among the counties to receive FEMA assistance.Below is the full statement from Laurens County officials explaining what comes next:”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 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. in the Voter Registration parking lot (105 Bolt Drive, in 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 8 a.m. tomorrow, Oct. 1, at which time the Ridge at 301 Exchange Drive will serve as the shelter location.”Laurens County will continue to provide updates when possible.”