Thursday, January 5, 2017

As New Year Begins, North Carolina Recovery Accelerating

DURHAM
Jan 5, 2017

In the three months since North Carolina was inundated by flooding caused by Hurricane Matthew, the state has made the move from response to recovery.

As of Jan. 3, federal agencies have provided more than $257 million in grants, loans and insurance payments to those who had losses resulting from flooding after Hurricane Matthew.

These funds are making it possible for survivors to begin rebuilding their homes and communities as they develop a recovery plan. And moving back home marks significant recovery progress for survivors and their communities. Many survivors have successfully taken this step, in part because of the volunteers from North Carolina and across the country who have donated their time and skills.

FEMA is out in the community at home improvement stores providing survivors with information on how to rebuild stronger and safer. It is coordinating and working with the volunteer agencies that send thousands of volunteers to assist with disaster debris clean up and rebuilding. FEMA also coordinates with local long term recovery committees located in all 45 Individual Assistance (IA) designated counties. These groups help volunteers and services that can help survivors.

Soon after Hurricane Matthew struck, FEMA sent Disaster Survivor Assistance teams to affected areas informing survivors of available assistance. These teams spoke with nearly 41,760 survivors and have visited more than 82,300 homes.

To date, 78,815 survivors in designated counties contacted FEMA for assistance during the registration period that closes at 11:59 p.m. Monday, Jan. 9 for both FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA that provides low-interest loans to homeowners, renters and business owners who qualify) benefits.

FEMA has provided these individuals and families with more than $86.9 million in grants, including $60 million for repair of disaster-damaged housing and nearly $18,000 in rental assistance. More than 59,100 FEMA damaged housing inspections (99.7 percent) have been completed.

The SBA has approved $75 million in disaster loans to enable more than 2,035 businesses and residents to repair, rebuild, replace and recover. 

The National Flood Insurance Program has received more than 5,748 claims and paid more than $96.5 million to policyholders, including advance payments to help homeowners get started quickly on repairs.

New this year, FEMA developed a product to help communities more accurately reflect the true flood risk posed to areas behind levees. With that information, city officials can decide on the best way to protect their community. The assessment report is currently in use in hard-hit Princeville.

Public Assistance is just beginning its work of reimbursing state, tribal and local governments and certain types of private nonprofit organizations for their quick responses to and recover from the effects of Hurricane Matthew. To date, it has completed 312 kick-off meetings and 49 applicant briefings and obligated nearly $7 million in grants. These dollars will go toward reimbursing eligible applicants with debris removal, emergency protective measures and to provide funding for the repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged public owned facilities and infrastructure.

The registration deadline to register for FEMA assistance as well as to submit SBA disaster-loan applications is Jan. 9. Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 for voice, 711 and Video Relay Service. If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585.

Contact SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling 800-659-2955. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.

For more information on North Carolina’s recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4285 and readync.org. Follow FEMA on Twitter at @femaregion4 and North Carolina Emergency Management @NCEmergency.

 

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Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 or TTY at 800-462-7585.

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards. Follow FEMA on twitter at @femaregion4. Download the FEMA app with tools and tips to keep you safe before, during, and after disasters.

Dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162 to speak with a trained call specialist about questions you have regarding Hurricane Matthew; the service is free, confidential and available in any language. They can help direct you to resources. Call 5-1-1 or 877-511-4662 for the latest road conditions or check the ReadyNC mobile app, which also has real-time shelter and evacuation information. For updates on Hurricane Matthew impacts and relief efforts, go to ReadyNC.org or follow N.C. Emergency Management on Twitter and Facebook. People or organizations that want to help ensure North Carolina recovers can visit NCdisasterrelief.org or text NCRecovers to 30306.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more information, applicants may contact SBA’s Customer Service Center by calling (800) 659-2955, emailing disastercustomerservice@sba.gov, or visiting SBA’s Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call (800) 877-8339.

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