Houses of worship and other nonprofit organizations may be eligible for FEMA assistance to help pay for emergency protective measures, debris removal and restoration of facilities damaged by Tropical Storm Fred.
Under the Public Assistance program, FEMA may be able to provide financial assistance to certain private, nonprofit organizations – including houses of worship – to restore facilities damaged or destroyed by a major disaster.
To be eligible, facilities must:
- Have sustained damage caused by Tropical Storm Fred in Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Madison, Mitchell, Transylvania, Yancey or Watauga counties.
- Provide a current ruling letter from the IRS granting tax exemption under Section 501 (c) (d) or (e) of the IRS Code of 1954, or through the North Carolina Secretary of State.
- Be owned or operated by a private nonprofit organization.
- Have either not received funding or received insufficient funding after applying for a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster loan.
The deadline to apply for FEMA Public Assistance in Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, Transylvania, Yancey or Watauga Counties is Oct. 22, 2021. The deadline for Ashe, Graham, Jackson or Mitchell counties, which were added to the disaster declaration Oct. 1, is Oct. 31, 2021. For more information, contact North Carolina Emergency Management, email public.assistance@ncdps.gov or visit NC DPS: Public Assistance.
For more information about Tropical Storm Fred recovery in North Carolina, visit fema.gov/disaster/4617 and ncdps.gov/TSFred. Follow us on Twitter: @NCEmergency and @FEMARegion4.