County awaits the arrival of FEMA
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on October 15, 2016 10:11 PM
Full Size
Full Size
News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Director of the Office of Emergency Services for Wayne County Mel Powers gives an update on the FEMA available for Wayne County update with a group of concerned citizens in the commissioners meeting room at Wayne County Courthouse on Thursday afternoon.
Full Size
News-Argus/SETH COMBS
Wayne County Manager George Wood, right, and Director of the Office of Emergency Services for Wayne County Mel Powers, at a press conference outlining any FEMA Aid that will be available to Wayne County in the commissioners meeting room at Wayne County Courthouse on Thursday afternoon.
The full extent of the damage in the Wayne County can be seen inch by inch as the Neuse River recedes, and now many storm and flood victims are waiting to begin the recovery.
On Thursday, leaders from Pikeville, Eureka, Mount Olive, Goldsboro and Fremont, piled into the commissioners meeting room at the Wayne County Courthouse to begin the recovery process and prepare for the arrival of FEMA.
In a disastrous event like Hurricane Matthew and the flooding that followed, representatives from FEMA come in to access the damages and offer reimbursements and relief to local governments and individuals, and at this point, many are waiting for these representatives to arrive.
Bill Lehman, media relations specialist handling the disaster areas in North Carolina, which includes Wayne County, said he could not answer when FEMA representatives will be available locally to help.
"I don't know," Lehman said.
"I know they are putting into place some recovery places for affected counties. I will know in the next week or so when we will be available to go."
Lehman said once FEMA representatives do arrive in the county, groups known as "disaster survivor assistance teams" will go door to door to register storm and flood victims for FEMA assistance.
The question remains for those currently residing in the shelters set up across the county and those that sought safety in other places away from their residence where they can live should they return to a completely destroyed home.
"What FEMA does is provide housing assistance, it could be putting people in motels, we offer rental income or it could be fixing up their homes. As far as housing units, what they call HUBs, we don't know that yet. We work that with the state in regards of whether supplemental housing will be provided," Lehman said.
"First we assess housing needs. (We find out if) there (are) enough housing needs in certain counties, and then later on, they decide whether they need to bring housing units in, and that has to be done with the state and the locals."
Despite their pontential-arrival still being weeks out, the county and city are working closely to establish a Disaster Recovery Center where FEMA representatives can be stationed.
"We are setting up a DRC. Once we get it set up and ready to go, we will announce that location, but right now, if we announce it and, then you have individuals coming to that center and there is no one there they will just a little more frustrated with us. Once we have that ready to go we will announce it," said the Wayne County Director of Emergency Services Mel Powers told municipality leaders.
"As soon as I know when FEMA is going to man the DRC we will get that information out to you so you can send it to your public as well," he said.
For individuals seeking immediate assistance from FEMA, Powers said they can register online now at www.disasterassistance.gov, or call 1-800-621-3362.
For individuals or business owners to apply for FEMA aid, they must have a social security number, address of the damaged property, description of the damage, information about insurance coverage, a contact number, an address where they can receive mail and a bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit.
The Thursday meeting was the beginning of the public assistance aid the FEMA provides.
"This is just a preliminary meeting to talk about what you are going to need once FEMA gets in here and what you are going to need for public assistance part," said Wayne County Manager George Wood.
Wood said FEMA disburses funding in two different ways, one is known as the public assistance, which is reimbursement to municipalities and local governments in the cleanup efforts. The second part is individual and businesses assistance, which provides direct relief to those affected by the storm and flooding.
Powers urged leaders to prepare for FEMA's arrival by gathering damage assessments for recovery reimbursements.
"We went through it, I think the last time, was in 2011 with Hurricane Irene," he said.
"There are some things you are gong to have to have. One of the things that they like to see, if you can have a map, and within that map of your jurisdiction you need to have located where your disaster is going to be," Powers said.
He said as municipalities map out where the most severe damage is, they also need to itemize the cost of clean up and prepare to have local representatives be available for FEMA once it arrives.
"We are all in this together and I think we have done a great job so far of working this disaster together and I think we will continue to do it, not only through the response phase, but the recovery phase," Powers said.