Starting on Thursday, the city of Birmingham began accepting donations of canned goods, water bottles and other household items for those affected by the disastrous flooding in South Carolina.
Donations can be made through Sunday at Boutwell Auditorium to be shipped to Columbia, South Carolina on Monday at 6 a.m. Donations can be made from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
“Birmingham is a generous and caring city. Our hope is that we can help out Columbia’s time of need,” Mayor William Bell said in a press release.
An estimated 17 people have died in the record flooding in South Carolina and 400,000 still remain under a “boil water” advisory, meaning they do not have safe access to drinking water.
Throughout the state, 11 dams broke and 35 are still being inspected. Although the rains have subsided, South Carolina remains in a state of emergency. According to the Associated Press, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has amended the disaster declaration for South Carolina bringing the total to 16 counties.
For additional information about FEMA’s response to the disaster in South Carolina, visit fema.gov. Here is a list of the recommended items that people are encouraged to donate.