Five months after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, residents are still struggling to rebuild. The process has been slow, expensive and frustrating for many as they battle insurance denials and navigate a complex federal aid system.
The funding reality
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A 5 On Your Side review of Hurricane Helene-related housing funds found that the money earmarked or currently available pales in comparison to the need.
FEMA reports providing $372 million directly to North Carolinians. The governor’s office has requested $260 million from the state legislature for housing assistance.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has allocated $1.65 billion, but that money still requires final approval before it can be distributed. Additionally, several million dollars were provided for rental assistance and other housing-related needs immediately after the storm.
That brings the total funding to roughly $2.2 billion, far short of the estimated $13 billion needed for housing-related costs alone.
When asked if the state would ever come close to meeting that need, Matt Calabria, director of the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, reiterated that the governor’s spending plan was just a first step in the recovery.
“Are there enough resources so far? No. And that's why we're working with the federal government and the General Assembly because those are potentially fast avenues to get more resources out there,” Calabria said.
Struggling to rebuild
Stephanie Hargraves knows this struggle all too well. She and her husband have been living in an Airbnb while waiting for repairs on their Fairview home, an effort that will cost $133,000.
“It’s horrible,” Hargraves said. “You see all these funds have been distributed, and it’s like, where’s that at? Where's the money?”
That’s the question many residents are asking as they try to put their lives back together. Like most people affected by Hurricane Helene, Hargraves did not have flood insurance, leaving her and her husband to pay for their rebuild out of pocket. They, like many others, were instructed to turn to FEMA to help cover costs.
The financial gap
While FEMA offers up to $85,000 in assistance, $42,500 for housing and $42,500 for other needs, no one interviewed by WRAL 5 On Your Side received such a payout.
Bob and Edwina Tatum, of Minneapolis, N.C., told WRAL News they were promised nearly the full amount only to receive a check that was more than $30,000 short. They are currently appealing.
Hargraves received even less, just $9,000, and is also in the appeals process.
“It’s tiresome, for sure,” she said.
State Rep. Dudley Greene, who represents District 85 just west of Asheville, understands the frustration firsthand. Helene destroyed his own home, and FEMA gave him $14,558, including $1,500 for home repairs.
“The problem with FEMA is that it’s a very confusing process,” Greene said. “A lot of the issues people were having people did not seem to have answers for.”
Greene and other state Republicans have proposed a $500 million aid package for western N.C. Days earlier, Gov. Josh Stein’s office proposed more than $1 billion in aid, but neither have been approved by the state legislature. Stein’s plan includes $25 million in “immediate minor repairs and non-FEMA eligible needs.”
Government response
“Folks are right to be frustrated with the speed of FEMA,” Calabria said. “If there are individuals who are having difficulty, they should absolutely reach out to us.”
Calabria said his team at GROW NC, a state office created to help aid in the recovery of western N.C., is working to accelerate the process of understanding the needs of western N.C. and distributing help.
“People are going to see in the coming days a lot of amp up in communication,” Calabria said “We have people on the ground talking to folks in those individual conversations as well as broadcast communications because we've got to connect people with resources,” he explained.
Beyond applying directly to FEMA, Calabria suggests that people in need of resources apply for help with N.C. Disaster Case Management within the state Department of Public Safety.
According to its webpage, a case manger can help create a recovery plan, connect residents with resources, and wok through other “challenges caused by the storm.”
Waiting for relief
For Hargraves and many others, any relief can’t come soon enough.
“I don’t have a lot of expectations, but there are people who really need help,” she said.
Find out how you can help western NC rebuild from Hurricane Helene.
WRAL 5 On Your Side spent a week in Buncombe, Yancy, Mitchell and McDowell counties to survey the damage done by Hurricane Helene, find out what’s being done and step in to help when needed. Look for these stories Feb. 17-21 on WRAL.com and WRAL-TV.