Flooded Greenville Neighborhoods To Be Declared State Disaster Area

GREENVILLE -- Wilma Williams' Berea home has seen better days than last Thursday, when rainwater filled it.

Williams said it's been hard on her, too.

"It has been the most devastating thing that I've ever been through," she said. "Anything from about here above my waist and down is a total loss."

Across the street, Scott Braddock is trying to salvage family memories.

"It happened so quickly that I had no time to prepare for it at all," he said. "You can rebuild your house, but your life it takes a long time."

Greenville County officials said they hope to make the recovery go a little faster.

"I certainly wouldn't want to wait and find out two months from now we're not gonna get any grants and that everybody's still out of a house and the people have kind of forgotten about the disaster. We need to act now to get the money available to help everybody restore their lives," Greenville County Councilman Mark Kingsbury told WYFF News 4's Myra Ruiz.

Gov. Mark Sanford is expected to declare flooded areas of Greenville County disaster areas, which will open the possibility of federal aid for flood victims.

But officials said the help may come in the form of low-interest loans that must be repaid, rather than grants. Many of those people with flood-damaged homes could have difficulty repaying loans.

Berea resident Bill Guidinger wonders about the delay in making the declaration.

"It would have been nice to have a representative from the governor here seeing what is going on, hearing from him, knowing that he cares," he said.

"We just hope it is first thing in the morning. We do need decisions right away," Kingsbury said.

Kingsbury said he's working with the South Carolina Baptist Association to find volunteers to fix damaged homes for free.

"They are carpenters, they are accountants, they are lawyers, you name it. They are volunteers who've had training in disaster relief," Rev. Bill Hightower said.

Kingsbury said he's also going to work to eliminate permit fees for people intending to rebuild and obtain funding for people with homes in flood-prone areas to raise them to a higher level.

Previous Stories:

• July 31, 2004: Officials: Nearly $6 Million In Public Property Damage From Flood
• July 30, 2004: Greenville County Flood Damage Assessment Continues
• July 30, 2004: Cleanup Begins For Flooded Greenville County Neighborhoods
• July 29, 2004: Reedy River Crests At Twice Flood Level
• July 29, 2004: Heavy Flooding Continues In Greenville Area