Governor tours hurricane recovery center
By Steve Herring
Published in News on November 22, 2017 5:50 AM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Gov. Roy Cooper, left, gets a look at the new Hurricane Matthew Housing Recovery Application Center located inside the Veterans Services Center Tuesday during his visit to Wayne County.
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Gov. Roy Cooper, left, and N.C. Emergency Management director Michael Sprayberry speak with each other as Cooper and other local officials get a look at the new Hurricane Matthew Housing Recovery Application Center.
Wayne County residents already are scheduling appointments to see if they qualify for grants under the county's Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery funding for homes damaged by Hurricane Matthew.
The phone line went live at 8 a.m. Tuesday and the county's Hurricane Matthew Housing Recovery Application Center will open Thursday, Nov. 30.
Gov. Roy Cooper and N.C. Emergency Management Director Michael Sprayberry were in Goldsboro Tuesday afternoon to visit the center that will be in the Wayne County Veterans Services Office, 2001-D, E. Ash St.
The state has worked hard with local and federal government to try to get as much relief as possible to counties that were hit hard by Hurricane Matthew, Cooper said.
"When you think about Hurricane Matthew coming through, the $4.8 billion in damages to our communities we know that we have got to step up and work and help," he said. "This is another phase in the process. On Nov. 30 people will be coming into the application centers that we have set up to make sure that they can get recovery for their losses.
"We have them set up in Wayne County, Cumberland, Edgecombe County and Robeson County. Those are the four counties that we started and by mid-December we will have these application centers in other counties. We are encouraging people now to call or go online at rebuild.nc.gov and sign up for an appointment. That will make it a lot easier. You can also find out the documents that you need to bring to file an application to get recovery."
Often times when a disaster strikes the people who get hit the hardest are the people who can afford it the least, Cooper said.
"That is why we all need to pull together and make sure this effort works and that we help as many people as possible," he said.
The state is expecting a "pretty big surge" to start off on Nov. 30th, Sprayberry said.
He said he is not sure how long the centers will remain open.
"We are looking at mid-January to take an assessment, but we are not going to shut them down or anything like that until we analyze what the need is," he said. "We will base our decision on when they need to be shut down.
"We are hoping toward the beginning of the year that we will be able to start seeing some funds drop, but it is hard to say because when you have a package it all has to be verified to make sure there are no duplications of benefits. But our team has instructions to move as fast as possible. We have waited a long time for this. Our motto is speed to the need. You know you can't get benefits to disaster survivors too quickly. That just doesn't happen."
The program is for low-to-moderate income families, he said.
Accountably requirements for the federal funds are "pretty stringent," Cooper said.
As such the state has got to make sure that it jumps through every single hoop to make sure that it is right and that, "we are being accountable to the taxpayers," he said.
"In addition to that we want to have it happen as quickly as possible. That is one of the reasons that I have come and am going other places across the state. I just want to emphasize how important it is in getting it out, but also making sure that we are accountable and that the money goes where it is supposed to go."
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.
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.
* Copies of other assistance received from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration or other federal, state or local disaster entities including charities.