The South Carolina Disaster Recovery Office will hold four town hall meetings in the Pee Dee and Lowcountry regions of the state during the first week in April to present an action plan and receive public feedback on plans for the state's housing program and allocation of funds for Hurricane Matthew Recovery.
The Disaster Recovery Office will oversee $65.3 million altogether allocated for 24 counties impacted by Hurricane Matthew, which blew through Clarendon County in early October.
The housing focused program will concentrate on the repair and refurbishment of homes based on eligibility and priority need. Like the 2015 Severe Storm Recovery Action Plan, it will focus on serving the most vulnerable residents, giving priority to those who cannot recover themselves.
Counties covered aside from Clarendon include Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Chesterfield, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Lee, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Sumter and Williamsburg.
The action plan will be posted on the SCDRO website at www.scdr.sc.gov from April 1-14.
Based on public response, SCDRO may add or revise portions of the action plan before submitted it to the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
All meetings will be held from 6-7 p.m.
April 3 - Technical College of the Lowcountry - Beaufort Campus, Building 12, 921 Ribaut Road in Beaufort.
April 4 - Francis Marion University Lowimore Auditorium in the Cauthen Educational Media Center, 4822 E. Palmetto St. in Florence.
April 4 - Ellis Performing Arts Center, 618 N. Richardson St. in Latta.
April 6 - C.D. Joyner Auditorium, 161 Elizabeth St. in Marion.
To be eligible for the program, citizens must have disaster-caused damage to their home as a result of Hurricane Matthew and own property or live in one of the 24 declared counties. Eligibility, however, does not guarantee assistance. Factors that determine citizen priority include income level, disability, and age.
For more information about the town hall events or the SCDRO Action Plan, citizens should visit the SCDRO web site at www.scdr.sc.gov or email ContactSCDR@scdr.sc.gov.
