Few get disaster aid here

e-mail this story More details To help rebuild homes, call Councilman Mark Kingsbury, 294-6586 To donate money, send it to Disaster Relief Fund LLC, PO Box 3522, Greenville, SC, 29608

Federal grants never materialized, and federal loans have been denied for people such as David Armentrout, who said he was told his credit wasn't good enough to qualify.

"We were told they could help us," he said last week. "But you go to apply for it, and there wasn't too much luck."

Ten of the 20 Greenville residents who have asked for federal loans to help them rebuild have been turned down.

More than 6 inches of rain fell on parts of western Greenville County on July 29, causing floods that damaged more than 150 houses in the worst storm to hit Greenville in a decade.

Armentrout, who lost his job after the flood, said he has relied on the help of friends to get by. He applied to the Small Business Administration for a loan to get him back on his feet.

"It shows the system only works for people who have money already or good credit," Armentrout said. "We're going to do what we can because we can't get any help."

Councilman Mark Kingsbury said he realized people would need more than federal help, so he started a disaster relief fund. He sent a letter to more than 600 faith-based organizations asking for help.

To date, $12,500 has been donated and several churches have volunteered to rebuild houses that lost furnaces, air conditioners, flooring and other things, Kingsbury said.

Churches will be given the money to rebuild the houses, Kingsbury said. The money has yet to be allotted. Kingsbury is waiting on houses to dry out and churches to ask for materials first.

Matt Young, a spokesman for the SBA, said 17 residents and four businesses have turned in loan applications. Two residents and one business have received loans, Young said.

Some applicants have been rejected for reasons such as poor credit, failure to pay child support and not filing tax returns. The other applications are still under review.

The Small Business Administration is closing its temporary office in Greenville, but people can still apply for the low-interest loans until Oct. 11. Call 1-800-359-2227 for more information.

The agency is offering 30-year loans as low as 3.187 percent to homeowners and renters, and 2.90 percent for businesses. Loans and interest rates are based on a person's income.

People can get a loan of up to $200,000 to repair a primary residence, and up to $40,000 to replace their belongings. Businesses and nonprofit organizations are eligible for loans of up to $1.5 million.

John Boyanoski can be reached at 298-4065.