Wake County residents seek help from FEMA

The FEMA assistance center, located at the Chavis Heights Community Center, 840 Holmes St. in Raleigh, is open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week. 

FEMA has approved $1.4 million in assistance so far for North Carolina. Officials said $253,000 had been handed out statewide as of Monday.

"Right now, we are just encouraging people to register. Don't determine your own eligibility. Just make sure, at this point, that you register whether you have insurance or not," said Emily Young, assistant director for recovery with the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management.

Once registered with FEMA, an inspector will be sent to review the affected property. So far, FEMA has conducted 1,890 inspections, officials said.

Inspectors have already visited the east Raleigh home of Mary Moore. During the storms, a huge tree fell on the Brighton Road home Moore has rented for the past 26 years. 

"It really breaks my heart," Moore said.

Moore is still waiting to find out if she qualifies for assistance. 

Moore's neighbor Neko Everett didn't suffer as much loss. 

"I had a vehicle in the yard that got smashed by a tree," she said. 

Everett still doesn't have power in the home she rents with her 83-year-old mother, so they are staying with friends. 

Everett went to the FEMA office on Monday to seek help. 

"We heard that we could possibly get some assistance with some of the food that we lost in the fridge," she said.