On September 10, 2025, the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) was awarded approximately $6.6 million from a federal disaster relief grant through the 2025 American Relief Act (2025 Relief Act) for expenses related to the consequences of Hurricane Milton and Helene. This funding will support specific county recovery efforts, with a focus on solid and hazardous waste debris management and community outreach. Specifically, financial support will be administered through subawards to eligible counties or cities/towns for the purpose of managing disaster-related debris and/or establishing pre-approved disaster debris management sites. The grant is effective for five years starting October 1, 2025.

SCDES will use the majority of these funds to aid the specified counties with purchasing needed equipment or resources to manage the additional amounts of disaster debris accumulated because of Hurricane Helene. Funds may also be used for surveying costs for disaster debris boundaries or revising solid waste management plans. Our goal is to encourage counties to pre-plan for disasters so that they are better prepared for future events.

This assistance is made available to any county designated on the 12/03/2024 FEMA South Carolina Disaster Declaration List in the State of South Carolina and any city/town within the listed counties. If you are an affected county or a city/town within the listed counties and are interested in more information related to this grant, please contact Sallie Williams at 803-898-1346 or sallie.williams@des.sc.gov.

1. Abbeville

2. Aiken

3. Allendale

4. Anderson

5. Bamberg 

6. Barnwell 

7. Beaufort 

8. Berkeley 

9. Calhoun 

10. Colleton 

11. Cherokee 

12. Chester 

13. Edgefield 

14. Fairfield 

15. Greenville 

16. Greenwood 

17. Hampton 

18. Jasper 

19. Kershaw 

20. Lancaster 

21. Laurens 

22. Lexington 

23. McCormick 

24. Newberry 

25. Oconee 

26. Orangeburg 

27. Pickens 

28. Richland 

29. Saluda 

30. Spartanburg

There is a specific grant application form for these grant funds that will be available in February. The grant applications for the counties will be available Monday, February 9, 2026, through 5:00 p.m. (EDT) on Friday, April 3, 2026.