Calhoun and Bamberg County are two of the state's 17 counties eligible to receive Federal Emergency Management Agency fund assistance for cleanup following the Jan. 26 ice storm.

The federal dollars will pay 75 percent of the cost of certain expenses, including debris removal and repair or replacement of buildings destroyed in the storm.

Calhoun County Emergency Services director Bill Minikiewicz says the county continues to evaluate the storm damage while assessing the cost and benefits of applying for federal assistance.

Minikiewicz said damage totals have fluctuated with various assessments, but the amount that occurred on county roads have been on the rather slight side.

"We have done an assessment on county roads and ... they are not that bad." he said. "It seems that most of the damage was in Cameron and St. Matthews."

Of the 700 miles of Calhoun County roads, it is estimated that 120 miles are county-maintained roads.

"They did not receive the brunt of the storm," he said. "They were the most sparsely settled areas."

With this in mind and with the federal government paying 75 percent of the cost, Minikiewicz said the rest of the cost burden will fall on the local government. Expectations are that a final application decision would be made within the coming week.

In the interim, Minikiewicz said a number of cleanup contract proposals have been offered.

Bamberg County Emergency Services director Sharon Hammond said the county has yet to hear exactly how much money the county would actually receive, though the funds would cover debris removal and repair or replacement of buildings destroyed by the storm.

Unlike the estimated $5 million worth of damage in Orangeburg County, Bamberg County officials estimated damage ranges from $50,000 to $100,000, with most of the damage done within Denmark city limits and on the campuses of Voorhees College and Denmark Technical College.

"It will help the city of Denmark and the other places that were affected by the ice storm to get some help and do what they need to repair at a faster rate," said Hammond.

Hammond said residents are encouraged to get all their expenses together to assist FEMA officials. The starting time for cleanup is uncertain, she said.

In the interim, if extensive amount of cleanup is required, Hammond stressed that homeowners should call the county emergency services at 803-245-4313. Residents within the city are asked to call Denmark town hall at (803) 793-3734. Individuals are still encouraged to transport their remaining debris to the county's landfill or collection sites if needed.

Bamberg and Calhoun Counties will join Orangeburg, Barnwell, Lexington, Aiken, Clarendon, Edgefield, Florence, Horry, Kershaw, Marion, McCormick, Newberry, Richland, Sumter and Williamsburg.

Orangeburg County has issued a request for proposals from contractors for debris removal and disposal, with a response deadline of 4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Once a successful proposal has been identified, it will be forwarded to County Council for approval, and debris removal activities could begin almost immediately, Orangeburg County Administrator Bill Clark said Saturday.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551.

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