Hurricane Matthew recovery money slow in coming, but welcome when it arrives
Twenty-two months after Hurricane Matthew inundated much of eastern North Carolina, many residents are still waiting for government help to repair flood-damaged homes.
Posted — UpdatedRecovery money started flowing over the last few months, and Gov. Roy Cooper toured Robeson County on Monday to see some of the neighborhoods where the money is being put to work.
Benjamin Phillips was able to start making repairs only two weeks ago because he didn't qualify for money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and had to wait on money from the state's Community Development Block Grant program, which has been tied up in red tape.
"When you have a lot of damage, you got to try and do something in a timely manner because it gets worse," Phillips said.
Across town, Brenda Jacobs has finally recovered from the hurricane. Money from the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency paid for her repairs.
"They put the railing around my porch. They done my ceiling. They done one bedroom. They done the flooring," Jacobs said.
The Housing Finance Agency has $20 million committed to Hurricane Matthew relief. The agency has helped 400 homeowners so far, with another 200 repairs underway.
"It's a positive experience when someone's home has been repaired and they're back in it," Cooper said. "Brenda has lived here for 40 years, so it's important to get her help. So we know there are still a lot of other people who need help, and we want to provide that for them."
The governor said he was touring the area to let people know there is more money available for Hurricane Matthew repairs.
"Even though you've been turned down for a particular application with one stream of money, there may be help for you in another stream of money," he said.
Rep. John Bell, R-Wayne, criticized Cooper for "politicking" in hurricane-damaged areas instead of speaking to a House oversight committee he chairs on hurricane recovery.
Lawmakers have criticized the Cooper Administration for the slow flow of recovery money, but the mood Monday was much friendlier for Division of Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry. Still, legislators continued to press for improvements.
"I'm still very critical, but we've got to get it fixed," Bell said.
Phillips said people need to keep applying for recovery help and not give up hope.
"I think one of the reasons why I got done everything thing that I had done was because I was persistent. I never stopped," he said.
Related Topics
• Credits
Copyright 2024 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
