The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has publicized that South Carolina and two counties will receive $157 million from the federal government. These areas were worst hit by the catastrophic flooding that happened in last fall and need assistance to get over the calamity completely.
Federal Government Distributes Money Fairly
Federal government has distributed the financial aid fairly. HUD Secretary Julian Castro said that the South Carolina would get about $97 of the financial assistance and the rest would be distributed among the two counties. Lexington County will be given $16 million and Richland County will get about $23.5 million. Out of the $97 given to South Carolina, a major chunk, $20 million would be granted to the state’s capital, the city of Columbia.
The Aim of the Financial Aid
The core aim of the financial aid is to ensure that people get the ability to get back to their day to day lives and get settled into their homes again. Once that is done, the aid would also be utilized in ensuring that the communities of people hit by the disaster recover strongly so that they can get the ability to face such a calamity again by being better prepared for it.
The Complications
It is believed that it will take more than a few months for the money to actually reach the people who are worst hit by the calamity. As the local officials don’t seem to have an idea about how to use the money, the HUD would post the rules regarding spending the money in upcoming weeks. Then the local authorities would be required to submit their plan that would need to be approved by the HUD says HUD spokesman Joseph Phillips.
The Gratitude
Columbia city manager Teresa Wilson stated that she feels really thankful for the vital step announced by the federal government to aid those in need. She believes that a nice chunk of the award may need to restore the water and sewer system of the city. She made a fair point as the flooding badly impacted the water and sewer system of the city last October. Dams were burst due to the rainfall of up to 2 feet that last for several weeks. The breaches in Columbia Canal were so severe that most residents had to live without clean water for over a week.
