Disaster recovery forges on
By Steve Herring
Published in News on August 11, 2017 5:50 AM
Only a quarter of Wayne County's 331 applications have been approved for elevation/acquisition under the Hurricane Matthew Hazard Mitigation Grant program.
The county had sought nearly $37 million for acquisition (buyout)/elevation (house raising), but was awarded approximately $9 million.
The county's 331 applications include 24 for elevation, none of which were accepted, and 307 for acquisition of which only 85 were accepted by the state.
The acquisition applications were scattered across the county, Wayne County Planner Chip Crumpler said.
Priority was given to home-owner occupied houses that suffered more than 50 percent in damages and are located in a 100-year flood hazard area.
Crumpler is in the process of completing more thorough applications for the 85 applications. He plans to have that work completed by Aug. 15 and returned to the state for processing and forwarding for federal review.
Applications not funded in this round could still be eligible under other programs such as the Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery program, Crumpler said.
Wayne County commissioners Tuesday morning, Aug. 15, will hold a public hearing to explain the regulations, eligible activities and potential uses of Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funds.
It will start at 9:30 a.m. in the commissioners' meeting room on the fourth floor of the Wayne County Courthouse Annex.
Eligible categories of activities under the grant may include: homeowner housing repair and reconstruction assistance; temporary rental assistance; small rental repair assistance; multi-family rental repair and reconstruction assistance; temporary rental assistance; flood insurance assistance; housing storm damage repair reimbursement; supportive housing and services for the homeless; small business recovery loan assistance; public facilities and improvements; flood and drainage improvements; water and sewer improvements and related categories.
All programs and categories of activities are designed and targeted to benefit low-to-moderate income residents.
The public hearing will also provide information on the county's support of fair housing requirements.
A second public hearing would be required if the county decides to apply in any program or category. It would be held prior to submitting an application that will identify the grant program, proposed activities and budget.
Also, Crumpler said the county has yet to receive any information from the state concerning an additional $31.86 million in disaster relief funding for communities still recovering from Hurricane Matthew.
The funding is through the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development.
HUD had previously allocated just $6.1 million under the 2017 appropriations omnibus, but revisited its assessment at North Carolina's request.
Gov. Roy Cooper is working with bipartisan members of the state's congressional delegation, including Sen. Thom Tillis, Rep. Dave Price and Rep. David Rouzer, to secure additional funding.
"North Carolina needs this critical help to rebuild. It's gratifying hat bipartisan work with our congressional delegation helped HUD realize our state's additional need. More work remains to rebuild communities so we must continue," Cooper said.
Hurricane Matthew caused an estimated $4.8 billion in damage to 50 counties in North Carolina.
Wayne County was among the four hardest-hit counties in the state along with Robeson, Cumberland and Edgecombe.
Thus far, nearly $1.3 billion in state and federal relief funding has been allocated to the state, but additional needs remain especially in the area of housing, county officials say.
Meanwhile, Long Term Disaster Recovery-Wayne County is continuing its efforts to assist county hurricane victims who have exhausted all other available resources to safe, secure and sanitary living conditions.
Its goal is to aid as many survivors who have unmet needs as possible by coordinating the responses of it partners and ensuring unduplicated, efficient use of resources.
Long Term Disaster Recovery-Wayne County acts as a clearinghouse for those in need of assistance.
The group is advertising for a part-time director with a goal of hiring someone in September.
The director will have regular office hours, but still needs volunteers for office work, case management, construction, and other tasks, member Tara Humphries said.
Long Term Disaster Recovery-Wayne County is a coalition of public, private, faith-based and voluntary organizations. It was first formed in 1999 following Hurricane Floyd. It reactivated last November following Hurricane Matthew.
Casework is completed on storm victims to determine their hurricane-related needs and what resources or partners would be best matched with them.
Those who qualify are assigned a caseworker who goes into the home to assess the situation.
The caseworker stays with them through the entire process. That could include working with that person across one or several partnering organizations. All of the case workers are volunteers.
Residents can start the process by calling 919-735-4811, ext. 113, or e-mail disasterrecovery.waynenc@gmail.com.