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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2015
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Permanent road repairs underway BY ADRIENNE SARVIS adrienne@theitem.com
KEITH GEDAMKE / THE SUMTER ITEM
Broad Street at Shot Pouch Creek still remains partially blocked as crews work to repair storm damage.
Flood recovery centers closing on Sundays
The time for temporary repairs on Sumter city and county roads damaged during the storm is almost over as permanent repairs are underway or will soon begin, according to local and state officials. Sumter County Public Works Director Eddie Newman said the county does simple, small repairs,
with its equipment, and another party will most likely be contracted to do the repairs. The largest damaged areas are between 24 and 30 feet wide and 15 feet deep, he said. Newman said it will be a couple of weeks before the rest of the permanent repairs start. “Sunshine is the best thing we can hope and pray for,” he said.
such as filling in potholes, every day. He said the recent rain has put some repairs out of whack, especially on dirt roads. “Every third day we’re restricted by the rain,” he said. Newman said there are 178 damaged county roads with about 375 washed-out areas. Six areas are totally washed out, he said He said permanent repairs are more than county workforce can do
SEE REPAIRS, PAGE A6
Georgia sends donations
BY JIM HILLEY jim@theitem.com With a few exceptions, most South Carolina disaster recovery centers will close on Sundays beginning Nov. 8, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has announced. Included in the disaster recovery centers closing on Sundays are centers in Lee, Sumter and Clarendon counties. “Obviously, everything we do is in conjunction with the state and the local emergency managers,” said FEMA Media Relation Manager Mike Wade. “As activity starts decreasing, then we look at how we can best serve the survivors that are out there.” He said as the numbers drop, the centers typically make incremental changes to ease the workload on center employees. “Right now we are still seeing a lot of activity from Monday through Saturday but not a lot of activity on Sunday,” he said. The recovery centers have assisted more than 14,000 households in the tri-county area, Wade said. He said the Sumter center had 94 registrations for disaster aid Thursday and a total of more than 8,900. In Clarendon County, 24 registrations were taken Thursday for a 3,480 total, while in Lee County 14 registrations were recorded Thursday for a cumulative total of nearly 1,700, Wade said. The totals don’t necessarily represent the number of individuals who register but typically represent households. Disaster recovery centers in the tri-county area will remain open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday, until further notice, Wade said. The centers will remain open Wednesday, Nov. 11, Veterans Day.
SEE CENTERS, PAGE A6
PHOTOS BY RICK CARPENTER / THE SUMTER ITEM
Volunteer Aaron Koenig moves a pallet, above, as Sumter United Ministries employee Jacqueline Butler rolls up her sleeves and starts lining up volunteers to carry items from a truck from Albany, Georgia on Friday. Right, volunteers get in line to help unload the semi-trailer full of donations.
City of Albany residents donate necessities for victims BY RICK CARPENTER rick@theitem.com When Jackie woke up at 6 a.m. on Oct. 4, she stepped into ankle-deep water, a precursor of the floodwaters heading her way. She reached for something in the water and got an electrical shock. Jackie, who has asked The Sumter Item not to use her last name, said she called 911 and was told she would be put on a growing list of people needing rescue. When she finally left her
home on her own about 2 p.m., water was knee deep in her home and her car was partially submerged. And the water continued to rise. Jackie lost everything except some clothes she was able to salvage. On Friday, four weeks after the flood, she was at Sumter United Ministries getting some necessities: a mattress and box springs, pillows, food and water. “When you’ve lost it all, the simple things in life mean so much more to you,” Jackie said while
wiping away tears. Jackie said she was excited about being able to sleep on a mattress and box springs. She’s staying at a friend’s home that was vacant. But the kindness of strangers has overwhelmed her. “In everything I’ve been through, I know God has blessed me,” she said. “It’s not one thing that someone did for me; it’s a collection of all these things.” She said volunteers from the Latter-Day Saints have helped tear out damaged walls and siding.
And Sumter United Ministries provided everything from cleaning supplies and bedding to food and water. Jackie represents one of more than 1,000 people for whom the organization has provided supplies.
SEE ALBANY, PAGE A6
Burst of hiring: U.S. employers added 271K jobs in October BY CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON — U.S. hiring roared back in October after two weak months, with employers adding a robust 271,000 jobs and likely setting the stage for the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates next month. The unemployment rate dipped to a fresh seven-year low of 5 percent from 5.1 percent. The burst of hiring, the most since
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December, filled jobs across a range of industries as companies shrugged off slow overseas growth and a struggling manufacturing sector. Significant job gains occurred in construction, health care and retail. Friday’s report from the government suggested that the U.S. economy is rebounding after a worrisome summer and is continuing to outshine other major economies. During August and September, U.S. hiring had flagged amid financial turmoil in
China and faltering growth in Europe and emerging markets. Even so, American consumers have kept spending at a healthy pace, supporting strong job growth even as factory payrolls were flat last month and oil and gas drillers cut jobs. Soon after Friday’s report was released, the prospect of higher interest rates drove down financial markets. By late morning, stocks had fallen modestly. And the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note had
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surged to 2.33 percent from 2.23 percent Thursday, suggesting that investors see a greater likelihood of a Fed rate hike. After a prolonged period of relatively stagnant pay raises for many Americans, last month’s robust hiring also raised wages 9 cents to $25.20. That is 2.5 percent higher than 12 months ago, the sharpest year-over-year gain since July 2009. That is comfortably above
SEE JOBS, PAGE A6
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WARM AND STORMY
2 SECTIONS, 16 PAGES VOL. 121 NO. 21
More thunderstorms around today; tonight, some showers and cooler heading into a cool day tomorrow. HIGH 78, LOW 54
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