Congressman Tom Rice visited homes in Marion County that were repaired through the $95 million HUD grant given to South Carolina after Hurricane Matthew.
People were surprised to see him arrive at their door to check the repairs.
“It was something different. I said well, they thought enough to come and look, so I was glad to invite them in,” said Linda Stackhouse from Mullins.
Stackhouse was affected by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Joaquin in 2015. She was forced to move out due to her roof falling in and uncontrollable water leaks.
According to Congressman Rice, people in Marion and Horry county saw the most damage from both storms.
But, the HUD grant is helping the state repair homes and bring people back home.
“We go through here every couple of months or so and just make sure that progress is continuing and that we can get people back into their houses, and happy, and safe, as promptly and efficiently as we possibly can,” he said.
The state has repaired 450 homes out of 1300 so far. With all the rain South Carolina has seen lately, working on repairs has been difficult according to officials from the state’s disaster and recovery office.
“We are looking at a lot of different options to make this thing go as fast as we can. Having said that, if you compare us to any other jurisdiction that’s ever gone through a disaster, this is the fastest program that has ever been done,” said Program Management Director for Hurricane Matthew and Joaquin, J.R Sanderson.
Officials estimate the repairs will take another year or two to complete.