Hurricane recovery center opening
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 21, 2017 5:50 AM
Phone lines opened at 8 a.m. Tuesday for Wayne County residents to schedule an appointment to determine if they are eligible for Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding for homes damaged by Hurricane Matthew.
The actual applications will be taken at Hurricane Matthew Housing Recovery Application Centers that will open Thursday, Nov. 30, in Wayne, Cumberland, Robeson and Edgecombe counties -- the counties hardest hit by Matthew.
Scheduling an appointment by calling 919-366-4074 to complete an application is the first step in the process for Wayne County residents only, N.C. Emergency Management director Michael Sprayberry said.
The Wayne County application center will be located in the Wayne County Veterans Services Office, 2001-D, E. Ash St.
The Wayne County center will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, beginning Nov. 30.
It will be closed Dec. 6, Dec. 11, Dec. 18 and Jan. 8 from 10 a.m. to noon, and all day on Dec. 25 to 27 and Jan. 1.
At the center Wayne County residents can apply:
* To repair/reconstruct homes.
* For reimbursement for repair work already done.
* For a buyout.
Mobile home owners can apply to repair or replace their home, and landlords with eight or fewer units can apply for assistance under the small rental assistance program.
Renters can apply for temporary rental assistance.
"I cannot over emphasize how important that (phone call) is," Sprayberry said. "It is not a walk-in process. You have got to call and schedule an appointment. A lot of folks got severely impacted by Matthew. So there are still a lot of folks out there hurting. A lot of families need help.
"We want the residents of Wayne County to come to the Wayne County application center. We don't want people from other counties going to your (Wayne's) application center. What we are going to do is in the middle of December, we will announce how residents in other impacted counties can apply for assistance."
Contractors will run the application centers, but state and local officials will be on hand as well, Sprayberry said.
Application specialists will meet in person with disaster survivors to guide them through the full application.
State officials recommend that applicants expect to spend two hours completing their application during the appointment.
"Many families displaced by Matthew are back in their homes, but there is still much work to do to help families and communities recover from this devastating storm," Gov. Roy Cooper said. "I urge Matthew survivors in the hardest-hit counties to sign up for appointments and apply for these disaster recovery grants."
It probably will be after the first of the year before funds are awarded, Sprayberry said.
"One of the things that people can do to prepare themselves for their visit to the application center is to visit rebuild.nc.gov/apply," Sprayberry said. "It will give you a list of documents that you have to bring that will help you determine your eligibility to receive a grant.
"There are quite a number of documents. The government does not provide money without a lot of documentation. In some cases this is going to be tough for some people because if you are in a house that gets flooded out -- I mean some of the documents might not be available to you. But I think that you will find that the folks inside the application centers are going to do their best to help folks."
Applicants will need to bring as many of the following required documents with them as possible:
* Photo ID.
* Proof of legal residency.
* Proof of ownership if applying as a homeowner.
* Proof of being current on mortgage payments, and not be in default.
* Proof of valid lease, if applying as a renter.
* Proof of occupancy at the residence at the time of the disaster.
* Copy of the most recent 1040 tax return for all adults in the household or three months of consecutive pay stubs for all adults.
* Copies of insurance payments received for any Hurricane Matthew-related damage to the home. "That is a key right there," Sprayberry said. "It has to be Hurricane Matthew-related damage. It can't be something else."
* Copies of other assistance received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration or other federal, state or local disaster entities including charities. "They are going to make sure there is no duplication of benefits," he said. "If repairs have been completed on the damaged property, please provide photos and receipts that verify work."
Comprehensive programs such as the CDBG-DR do a lot of good, but take a little time, Sprayberry said.
"We are really excited because you can imagine it has been a long time coming," he said. "We are excited to be finally beginning it and working with our county partners. I have go to tell you folks in Wayne County that (County Manager) George (Wood) (County Planner) Chip (Crumpler) and (OES Director) Mel (Powers) -- you have got s great bunch of folks.
"So we are just looking forward to working with you all and its going to be a partnership. I think we are going to make some good things happen."