Orangeburg and Calhoun counties were among the counties who met with members of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Friday seeking disaster relief funds in the aftermath of Monday's ice storm.

Calhoun County Emergency Management Agency Director Bill Minikiewicz said the county's damage assessment, excluding personal property and state roads, stands at $1.3 million. But FEMA officials notified Calhoun County that its damage assessment could run as high as $1.5 million, he said.

Gov. Mark Sanford started the state's appeal for federal funds by issuing a statement to FEMA's regional director Thursday requesting a preliminary damage assessment from the state's affected counties.

"Given that initial estimates put the damage at roughly $20 million, we're clearly moving well past the threshold for federal assistance, and it's important that we're acting quickly to make sure the process of securing federal dollars is moving forward," Sanford stated.

FEMA is working to create a comprehensive preliminary damage assessment of all affected counties. Orangeburg and Calhoun counties have completed the preliminary report, but other counties have not done so yet.

Orangeburg County administrative officials are also seeking federal funds to support a massive cleanup effort. Broken tree limbs and other debris remain scattered throughout county residents' yards; residents have been asked to set their debris by the curbs and road right-of-ways until the county-wide cleanup effort gets underway.

Orangeburg County Administrator Bill Clark said it would take time to complete the comprehensive assessment, which would be submitted to the regional FEMA officials who make the final decision on the dispersal of grant funds.

After submission, Clark said it could take 10 days or more before a final application decision was made.

Minikiewicz said 75 percent of the federal aid would be in grant funds, with a remaining 25 percent local match, which must come from state or local government funds or a combination of both.

"They (FEMA officials) are not promising anything, but we're looking at the possibility of contracting out to private companies to help with clean up," Minikiewicz said.

There are also county residents still without electrical power, another problem which could be addressed with the federal disaster aid, he said.

Calhoun County Administrator Lee Prickett said contractual decisions have not been made yet about clean up, but county crews are working to clean debris from public right-of-ways and county-maintained roads. The county also has a burn site that has been approved by the state Department of Environmental Control at the Calhoun County Landfill.

Prickett said county residents could burn wooden products and other raw materials at the site, but they must notify the South Carolina Forestry Commission before they do. The toll-free-number is 1-800-895-7064.

The administrator said the federal FEMA funds the county was seeking would not include reimbursements for individual land and property owners, but rather those for the county's clean-up work along public right-of-ways.

Clark said while the city of Orangeburg was managing its own debris pickup and disposal for residents, the county was responsible for taking care of unincorporated areas along the county and state roads.

Clark said Wednesday that the federal funds the county was awaiting would be used to contract companies to assist with cleanup efforts. County residents are still encouraged to place all of their debris on street curbs or in road rights-of-way for pickup.

Clark also said Wednesday the county was working with DHEC to establish three regional burn sites in the central, eastern and western portions of the county.

The Orangeburg County Emergency Operations Center is still operating and residents can call to report emergencies at 533-6265. The Calhoun County emergency assistance number can be reached at 803-874-9111.

T&D Staff Writer Dionne Gleaton can be reached by e-mail at dgleaton@timesanddemocrat.com or by calling 533-5534.

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