Back 
I applaude Sanford for making this site visit. No one's seen Perdue. He "flew" over.
PETTICOAT JUNCTION --- South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford toured storm-damaged parts of Aiken County on Tuesday, thanking those who helped their neighbors after Friday night's tornado but saying the government couldn't provide much financial aid.
"I'm here simply to say thank you for the response on a local level," Mr. Sanford said after touring what remained of a destroyed Silver Bluff Volunteer Fire Department headquarters. "What needs to be celebrated here over what was this Easter weekend is the remarkable degree of self-initiative ... in the way that neighbors have helped neighbors and the way volunteers have helped volunteers."
The governor said it's "iffy" whether the area and state will meet the threshold for federal aid, noting how one federal program requires at least $5.2 million in uninsured losses statewide along with $470,000 in uninsured county damage. Another program, he said, requires 100 homes in a county with uninsured damages.
"I think there will probably at the end of the day be limitations on what can be drawn down on the federal standpoint," Mr. Sanford said.
State officials are bringing tarps and 200 pallets of water, he said. Though the state is still analyzing the situation, he said, it has no reserve fund for such cases.
"But we'll look and see if there's anything we can do," he said before explaining that he doesn't want to give residents false hope.
He said one possibility of assistance might be through a low-interest disaster loan program, which requires 25 homes with major damage or greater in an area. The state is still determining whether Aiken County meets that threshold.
Mr. Sanford spoke with several people whose homes were damaged.
"Wow," he said while looking at the leveled rental home of Leonard Bryant, who once lived near the Silver Bluff fire headquarters and is now staying with family.
"It was just a shock to us," Mr. Bryant told the governor.
"Well, my prayers will be with you," Mr. Sanford told him.
The governor then made his way along U.S. Highway 278 to the home and next-door business of Andrew Gaines.
"What's your phone number?" he asked Mr. Gaines.
"Well, the phone's in there," he said, pointing to his damaged home. "I'll give you my cell."
Mr. Sanford said damage from tornadoes often isn't as costly as that from hurricanes, making it harder to reach the level for federal aid. Yet the damage from a tornado can be worse to a single home, he said.
Federal aid also is based on the amount of uninsured damage, which the governor said can sometimes put those without insurance at a disadvantage if their area has a high concentration of insured.
Reach Preston Sparks at (803) 648-1395, ext. 115, or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.
GET ASSISTANCE
The American Red Cross will begin meeting with tornado victims today to determine assistance.
Teams from the Aiken County Red Cross and the Upstate South Carolina Red Cross will meet with families whose homes were destroyed or sustained major damage and will distribute cleanup kits. Assistance will be provided based on a family's verified, disaster-caused needs. Health and mental health services will also be available. For more information, call the Aiken County Red Cross at (803) 641-4152.
Source: American Red Cross, Aiken Chapter
ROAD CLOSED
U.S. Highway 278 remains closed to all except local residents between South Carolina Highway 125 and Silver Bluff Road from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. This allows emergency crews to work. Lance Cpl. Scot Edgeworth, of the South Carolina Highway Patrol, said that by the end of this week his office will re-evaluate the highway to determine whether it can be reopened.
DEBRIS DROP-OFF
Aiken County has opened a temporary drop-off center for tree limbs and similar debris off U.S. Highway 278. It can be accessed off Gateway Drive at the Carrol H. Warner Memorial Research Park. The site will be open seven days a week, starting today, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Aiken County's Barden Landfill facility, off Connector Road, also accepts nonhazardous waste debris. Building materials such as sheetrock, insulation, shingles, and lumber won't be accepted at the temporary drop-off area but can go to the Barden Landfill.
Source: Aiken County Assistant County Administrator Todd Glover
Comments
I applaude Sanford for making this site visit. No one's seen Perdue. He "flew" over.
You are right justus, he probably should have just lied to the people like Obama does and give them false hope. Also, the word is carrying. Sanford has demonstrated excellent leadership in my book.
I viewed, with horror, the tornado damage along Rt. 278 early yesterday morning and considered myself so fortunate that the storm did not track several miles farther north where it certainly would have threatened where I live. I live on a budget, but you can be sure that my homeowner's insurance is paid on time in full all the time.
Unfortunate for these folks that they have lost so much; however, they "gambled" when they chose not to have insurance. It is not the state of SC who bears the financial burden of their losses, and I applaud Gov. Sanford's position and honesty. Sooner or later, these folks hopefully will see the light and figure out that the government, whether it be local, state or federal, cannot address their every need. I am TIRED of folks who constantly have their hands "extended" for a free handout...at the taxpayers' expense!
The volunteer fire deparment station is the exception; with so many citizens depending upon their much-services dictates the need to address the replacement of this facility sooner than 3 to 6 months into the future.
correction to my comment....regarding the volunteer fire station's replacement...."with so many citizens depending upon their much-needed services..."
Justus4: you misunderstand the role government has when responding to significant emergencies with a large area impact. Governor Sanford is absolutely correct about residents chances of receiving federal aid; the governor is also correct about the limited chances of aid from state government. If an INDIVIDUAL owns, rents, or leases property (home, business, etc), the INDIVIDUAL is RESPONSIBLE for securing appropriate amounts and types of insurance coverage. Protecting property is an individual responsibility, not the responsibility of government (taxpayers). One last thing: before whining about injustice for these residents, review the quote from the article, "Federal aid also is based on the amount of uninsured damage, which the governor said can sometimes put those without insurance at a disadvantage if their area has a high concentration of insured". This statement indicates those in less affluent areas have a greater chance of receiving government assistance (because of lower numbers of insured) than in more affluent areas (with higher percentages of insured properties).
"Whats your phone number"? Like the guy is going to camp out in his destroyed home waiting for a call? Sheeez
patspa, your posting was so well put. I totally agree, it's all about individual responsibility. Hopefully the community and area residents and businesses can come together to help those who have been effected by the tornados. Justus, if Gov. Sanford had delivered his message by phone you'd be all over this forum posting that he was being racist and didn't have the respect to come see the damage for himself and give his message in person.
If this storm wiped out Woodside, you can bet the farm the federal money would be flowing!
Hey, You better believe that if the storm hit where Governor Sandford lived he would be getting together aid from every source he could think of. My mother's home was hit on Hwy 278 and it was an awful site to see she got out alive. The Aiken County Law enforcement told us to get her out at our own risk. She had no transportation and was handicapped stuck in her home. If it wasnt for a God sent man who came to her rescue we did not know wheter she was living or dead. This is a major disaster people are homeless and need this aid. The state has failed and this could likely have been another Katrina...If it isnt for family and neighbors we have no hope in this area...U better start thinking if something does happen to get you an evacuation plan together because the state does not care if you live or die...I just had to voice my opinion...This is truly an outrageous disaster that has happened.....I hope Governor Sanford reads this and the Aiken County Sherriff's Department...You all need to get your act together protect and serve my foot....
I am a resident of the Beech Island area where the tornado hit. in fact it hit my neighborhood off 278. I can see 278 from my front door so I was right there in it. First of all this is not an affluent area. Just hard working people doing the best they can, however we are responsible for paying our home owners insurance regardless of our wealth. Unfortunately the insurance I do carry will not cover the several thousand dollars I had to pay to have trees removed from my yard that were dystroyed. They didn't hit the house. That is just life!!! Aiken County Sherrif Mike Hunt and his staff have bent over backwards to see that all of our needs were met in every way shape or form. The utility companies from all of SC have also been wondeful as well as the Fire Depts. There may not be gov't aid but then that is when communities come together to do fund raisers to help those in need and get back on their feet and not become Katrina mindset victims. Get back up, brush the dirt off and start over with the help of your neighbors which WE ARE THERE TO HELP THOSE WHO WANT TO HELP THEMSELVES AND NOT HOLD THEIR HAND OUT!
patspa, you are quick to point out lies by the current administration, how about the 2 years bush lied about the economy going in the tank. for 2 years leading up to sept. of 2008 bush claimed economy was fine and could not be better, against some of the country's leading economists who were warning that the economy was not "fine" that we were slipping into a recession, then all of a sudden in sept of 2008 bush then admits that for the last 2 years he was fully aware that the economy was indeed slipping into a recession....but i guess that's not a lie in your opinion
RE: "Well, my prayers will be with you," Mr. Sanford told him. Talk is cheap, and this is really cheap talk. Sanford made his millions of dollars the old fashioned way --- inheritance of thousand of acres formerly known as "plantations." When the state tried to tax his beach house as a secondary residence, he squealed just like that pig that he carried into the capitol building several years ago. The Gov is all for maintaining the status quo, which means he and his country club friends in the hoi polloi caste keep the power and the money, and you plebeians can eat cake. ----- "The two greatest obstacles to democracy in the United States are, first, the widespread delusion among the poor that we have a democracy, and second, the chronic terror among the rich, lest we get it." - (Edward Dowling)
hey jusus4 == we all feel very bad for the people affected by this storm but you cannot ignore the fact that some people decided NOT to insure their home or belongings. Why should everyone else pay for this when it is up to the property owner to get insurance. I have insurance and people I know have insurance and we decide to do without other things than take a risk on something to happen and not have insurance. If people can buy beer,smokes, or any other luxuries than they can afford to have insurance. Nobody else should pay for their poor decision not to get insurance.
A Pirates life, Mr Gaines figured out the governor was referring to the cell phone number and the article included the fact. Why the confusion?
The Augusta Chronicle ©2012. All Rights Reserved.
