NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – North Charleston officials are busy assessing the damage caused by Hurricane Ian throughout the city.
On Tuesday, Jill Weatherford discovered damage at her Park Circle rental property caused by a fallen tree during the storm. Another tree landed directly on her neighbor’s house. Both seemed to have been rotting on the inside.
“I guess I’ll be contacting my insurance company to see if there’s any help there,” said Weatherford.
These are the types of scenarios North Charleston officials are looking for in their storm damage assessment. As part of the process, police and firefighters drove through neighborhoods looking for any obvious signs of damage.
Homeowners are also encouraged to report it themselves through an online form, big or small.
“Once we fill the form out they can have that information that we can provide them with what we found when we went out there as they file their claims with their insurance company,” explained Darbis Briggman, a Building Official for the City of North Charleston.
Briggman said it’s also important for residents to report their damage because they may be eligible for financial assistance from the federal government if they aren’t able to afford insurance.
So far, North Charleston leaders have recorded about 40 reports of damage. The most common reports came from flooding and fallen trees.