With the clock ticking, representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) say that they are struggling to reach dozens of displaced residents living in temporary hotel housing.
During the Feb. 4 briefing meeting of the Buncombe County Board of Commissioners, representatives from FEMA in charge of managing local relief efforts in Buncombe County briefed local leaders on the agency’s transitional sheltering assistance program and other Helene-recovery updates.
According to a presentation, 674 households have received transitional sheltering assistance, which offers temporary hotel stays to residents displaced by Helene as they work toward permanent housing solutions. Meanwhile, 741 residents have received rental assistance as of Jan. 30. The presentation went on to note that 93 households were approved for direct housing.
In order for displaced residents to extend their hotel stays, those receiving assistance must continue to renew their eligibility with FEMA. Of the more than 600 residents currently in hotels, 129 were expected to check out on Saturday, Feb. 8, unless they receive an extension from the agency. However, FEMA representative Ina Chan explained to the board that FEMA has been “unable to contact” 67 residents who are currently utilizing transitional sheltering assistance to see whether they qualify for an extension.
Chan explained that the agency has used flyers, text messages, calls and emails to attempt to contact residents who have been difficult to reach. Privacy and safety concerns, Chan noted, prevent FEMA workers from directly approaching residents.
“We’ve exhausted every avenue,” Chan said of the residents. “Unfortunately, the struggle is real. We have come into such a difficult time to get into contact with a lot of folks. And it’s not just the ones that are qualified or eligible or approved for … FEMA’s direct housing, but those in general that are currently checked into the hotel.”
District 3 Commissioner Parker Sloan asked if there were other available options that officials and FEMA members could perform to improve communication, including going door to door.
“Are either county navigators or these state folks knocking on these folks’ doors?” Sloan asked. “I understand the security concerns, but it seems like there’s a relatively small group of people that we know we need information from, [and] we know where they are physically.”
“If you’re asking if we are going to knock on the door, we’re not. It is definitely a safety issue,” Chan responded. “We’ve [done] it in the past in other states … where we did go and knock on doors, but some not so good outcomes happened. FEMA staff were not just hurt, but some of them were actually shot at.”
According to a presentation, as of Jan. 30, FEMA has distributed more than $107 million in individual assistance to Buncombe County applicants. FEMA has received more than 87,000 applications for assistance, with 56,500 residents having received assistance, about a 74% approval rate.
Another FEMA representative, Bob Smith, went on to say that some people who have applied and are eligible but haven’t received assistance yet may need additional paperwork, such as a copy of their homeowners insurance policy or proof of residency. Residents who need help processing additional paperwork should go in person to one of the two disaster recovery centers for assistance, he said. Locations include Fairview Public Library, 1 Taylor Road, Fairview; and Weaverville Town Hall, 30 S. Main St.
“That’s always an animal we’re always fighting,” Smith added. “There are going to be people who fall through, and we’re working through to make sure that if they fall into ineligible that we’re going to case manage them into getting acceptance.”
The deadline to register for assistance is Saturday, March 8. “We encourage people not to wait for that month. If you haven’t applied, apply as soon as you can,” said Smith.
This story was supported by the Fund for Investigative Reporting and Editing.
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