At its Nov. 7 meeting, the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners received an update on the county’s Tropical Storm Helene response and recovery process. (Commissioner Martin Moore was absent.) Following a short video presentation, Hannah Vick, assistant federal coordinating officer with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), spoke to the board.
“Our priority is to ensure that displaced families have a safe and sanitary place to stay,” Vick said, addressing housing needs. According to Vick, more than 50,000 households in the county have been approved for FEMA assistance, with the agency paying out more than $73 million to local families. The money helps survivors pay for temporary housing, making home repairs and replacing essential personal property.
“As we complete home inspections, we can approve survivors for more money or programs based on their specific damages or … specific needs,” said Vick. “We also help survivors [pay for] moving and storage and other needs not covered by insurance.”
In addition, FEMA is directly paying for more than 1,500 people to stay in local hotels.
Other highlights from Vick’s address included:
- FEMA currently has 300 community responders in Buncombe County.
- The Army Corps of Engineers is aiding the agency in its top priority — restoring potable water to the region.
- The Army Corps of Engineers is also engaged in debris removal, which is being conducted at no cost to the county.
Small business loans update
A second presentation from E.B. Odderstol, Buncombe County’s economic development program analyst, covered updates on the Mountain Community Capital Fund (MCCF). The MCCF provides loans for small-business owners who don’t have collateral.
The presentation proposed edits and updates to the program’s operating agreement.
“The updated agreement will allow the Operating Committee to more easily accept additional funds moving forward, including for potential Helene relief needs,” Kassi Day, Buncombe County spokesperson told Xpress in a follow-up email.
The program is not specific to the Helene response, Odderstol said. The board will be asked to approve the updated agreement at its next regular meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 19.
In other news
- The board voted unanimously 6-0 to approve a $285,000 Safety and Justice Challenge grant from the MacArthur Foundation. The grant funds an assistant district attorney position, an assistant public defender position for the county and projects that increase community engagement.
- The board also unanimously approved 6-0 two budget amendments. One accepts a $75,082 grant for the DWI Task Force, which consists of three sworn officers. The grant requires a 75% ($225,247) match by the county — funding that was already budgeted for fiscal year 2025. The second budget amendment accepts a $510,000 grant from Dogwood Health Trust that supports the Ujima Collective Healing Space. According to the county, “The need for this project arose after research on ways to use Opioid Settlement Funds discovered there is a disproportionate increase in the overdose deaths of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color populations.”
- The board voted unanimously 6-0 to approve a resolution waiving all penalties for businesses that pay occupancy taxes late during the region’s recovery from Helene. The proposal does not waive payments of occupancy taxes.
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