Federal Emergency Management Agency
has extended the deadline for applying for assistance.
The deadline originally was set for Monday. It has been pushed back to Dec. 8.
Meanwhile, a man who at first did not qualify for FEMA help now is reaping its benefits.
The happiness on Bill Roy's face and the praise he gave the government recently do not reflect how he felt last month.
"I was mad," Roy said. "I was upset. I was mad and disgusted with the whole system."
Roy was mad because his Wake County address meant he did not qualify for help from FEMA after Isabel destroyed his mobile home. His neighbors just a couple of miles down the road in Granville County did qualify for aid.
The situation has changed since then.
"I'm amazed at how quickly it turned around," Roy said, "how quickly the government got on it."
Just days after telling Roy he did not qualify, the government declared Wake County eligible for FEMA assistance. Roy has since torn down what was left of the trailer and has started on the road to recovery.
"They've loaned us money on the replacement of the house," he said. "FEMA has given us money for our personal property, clothes, furniture, all that stuff."
Stakes mark the spot where Roy's new mobile home will sit. It is on the same spot as the old one, but this one is bigger and better.
"It's going to be a 2,026 square-foot home coming in," Roy said. "It's going to be a nice house, something we didn't think we could get."
Roy and his family are living with relatives right now. He said he hopes to have his new mobile home in place by Christmas.
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
