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THE WHITE HOUSE

                     Office of the Press Secretary
                 (Aboard Air Force One en route Hawaii)
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For Immediate Release                                September 15 , 1999
                 PRESIDENT DECLARES AN EMERGENCY DISASTER
                   EXISTS IN THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA

     The President today declared an emergency exists in the State of

South Carolina and ordered Federal aid to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area impacted by Hurricane Floyd on September 14, 1999, and continuing.

"These declarations will provide direct federal assistance for emergency protective measures and debris removal," said Vice President Al Gore. "This will enable us to help South Carolina to reduce the threat to lives and property. And, of course, we stand ready to deliver additional assistance in the wake of the storm if it is needed."

The President's action authorizes FEMA to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives, protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the counties of Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Beaufort, Berkeley, Calhoun, Charleston, Chesterfield, Clarendon, Colleton, Darlington, Dillon, Dorchester, Florence, Georgetown, Hampton, Horry, Jasper, Kershaw, Lee, Lexington, Marion, Marlboro, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter, Williamsburg.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures, which include direct Federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent Federal funding.

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