News

Twelve Disaster Recovery Centers, including the one at Blue Ridge Plaza on Asheville Highway in Hendersonville, have reopened following the Christmas holiday and are available to provide face-to-face assistance with FEMA-related questions and needs. DRCs will be closed on New Year's Day will resume work on Thursday, Jan. 2. Help is also available online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-FEMA (3362).

Here are updated recovery numbers:

▪ FEMA has approved $288 million approved to more than 142,000+ households and individuals beginning their recovery. That includes money to help rent a home or apartment as survivors begin their recovery.
▪ $307 million in Public Assistance funding approved to support community recovery.
▪ The U.S. Small Business Administration is still accepting low-interest loan applications. To date more than $6.6
million in loans has been awarded.
▪ FEMA is providing multiple temporary housing options to meet North Carolinians’ individual needs. The first step to receiving housing assistance is applying with FEMA. In housing aid:
— More than 5,300 households are using Transitional Sheltering Assistance hotels and motels.
— 84 households have been placed in temporary housing units provided by FEMA Direct Temporary
Housing Assistance.
— FEMA has contracted with 13 commercial parks to be able to place units and the agency is working with more than 20 other parks for potential contracting purposes.
▪ To date, more than 2.4 million cubic yards of debris has been removed from public rights of way by FEMA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its contractors. Debris currently being removed includes vegetative/woody debris, construction debris, white goods (appliances) and household hazardous waste.

FEMA may be able to help pay for a road or bridge on private property when it is the only route available to reach a primary home or it is the only access for emergency vehicles. The first step in determining eligibility for this assistance is to apply through FEMA. Call the FEMA Helpline or visit a Disaster Recovery Center to file or update an application. Nonprofit organizations are also assisting residents. More information on their efforts can be found at Bridging Together ldrcarolinas.org/bridging-together. To date, FEMA has awarded more than $9.5 million for repair or replacement of roads and bridges to more than 3,500 families.