SOUTH CAROLINA GOV. NOTES STATE ELIGIBLE FOR FEDERAL FOLLOWING CHARLEY’S VISIT:

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford announced that damage to local and state government in South Carolina as a result of Hurricane Charley has met the threshold for receiving federal assistance—topping the $5.1 million mark after Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), state and local emergency management personnel completed a preliminary damage assessment (PDA) at Gov. Sanford’s request recently. As a result, the governor sent a letter to President George W. Bush requesting that South Carolina receive a Presidential Disaster Declaration, making the state eligible to begin receiving federal disaster relief funds. “I’d give credit to all the emergency management folks at the federal, state and local level who helped get us ready for this storm and who’ve helped in its aftermath,” Gov. Sanford said. In addition to announcing the completion of the PDA, Gov. Sanford also lifted the State of Emergency he declared in South Carolina when it became clear that Hurricane Charley would impact the state.