Darlington receives FEMA funding to pay for damage from Tropical Storm Idalia

DARLINGTON, S.C. (WBTW) — The city of Darlington recently received a FEMA grant to help offset more than $500,000 in damages left behind by Tropical Storm Idalia in 2023.

Officials said rainfall accumulation in the city initiated a chain of events that caused a sinkhole on East Broad St.  Some of the underground pipes dated back to the 1900s, which made it easier for the storm to wreak havoc on the city’s infrastructure.

“The city is extremely thankful for the FEMA funding,” spokesman Hunter Thomas said.

He said the city is grateful and has already started putting the grant money to use.

“The funding paid for people power, stone, signage, and everything we needed to make the site safe to work on,” he said of the more than $120,000 in federal aid.

East Broad Street regularly experiences high traffic from residents and visitors, and after Idalia, it took three months for repairs to be made to the street.

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Tomika Jackson joined News13 in April 2024 as a multimedia journalist. She started her journalism career in 2000 with previous stops at WALB TV10, CBS47 & WTOC11 in Savannah, Georgia. Tomika is a Georgia native and Valdosta State University graduate. Follow Tomika on X, formerly Twitter , and Instagram . You can read more of her work here .

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