The Saluda County Disaster Recovery Center is open through October 19th.

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – As thousands continue to rebuild after Hurricane Helene, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is continuing to offer assistance to those most affected through pop-up resource centers in areas most in need.

This Saluda County Disaster Recovery Center is open now through October 19, 2024 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and aims to help the people here in Saluda County continue to recover.

“A lot of people down here are solid, working-class people and don’t have the resources, and FEMA is probably all they have left to help them deal with this disaster,” said Saluda County resident Dan Neel. “None of us were at all prepared for it; No one.”

Saluda County resident Dan Neel says his community is still dealing with that reality as it cleans up the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

The pop-up disaster centers have accelerated the recovery process for many people across South Carolina. FEMA spokeswoman Tiana Suber says these centers have helped more than 300,000 people register with FEMA nationwide and provided more than $140 million in grants to people who needed assistance.

She says the pop-up centers speed up the process of helping others because professionals are there to help a victim understand their options.

“It’s a lot easier, it makes it easier for you to try to figure it out on your own, especially if you do it online,” said FEMA spokeswoman Tiana Suber. “We have the experts here and we always encourage people to come here and talk to someone one on one.”

The Recovery Center offers people the opportunity to meet with disaster specialists and various agencies who can show them how to apply for and receive the right assistance.

Mike Leonard, a member of the Disaster Recovery Reserve Corp with the South Carolina Office of Resilience, was one person at the recovery center Thursday.

He helped people find assistance with damage to homes and referred them to other services that can help clean up food and debris.

“If they actually have damage to their home, we register them with an application to receive the grant,” Leonard said. “Our other job is to refer them to services in the area. The main services currently in demand are food, tree and debris removal.”

The Disaster Recovery Center at 407 West Butler Avenue in Saluda, SC will be open on October 19, 2024 until 7:00 p.m.

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