SIX MONTHS FOLLOWING HURRICANE MATTHEW GOVERNMENT PARTNERS,
VOLUNTEERS WORK FOR NORTH CAROLINA PROGRESS
[https://www.fema.gov/press-release/20210318/six-months-following-hurricane-matthew-government-partners-volunteers-work]


Release Date: 
April 6, 2017 

DURHAM, N.C. – Hurricane Matthew left a $1.5 BILLION impact on North
Carolina, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, and the state has made significant progress on
recovery. As the aftermath of Matthew fades, the accomplishments of
those who survived the storm verify a basic truth about disasters:
Recovery takes the Whole Community.

North Carolina has taken significant steps toward recovery following
the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. Affected communities and disaster
survivors are repairing and rebuilding better, stronger and safer with
the help of neighbors, friends, family members, voluntary groups,
faith- and community-based organizations and local, county, state and
federal governments.

The following highlights recovery progress made in the six months
since the Oct.10 presidential disaster declaration, and how disaster
survivors and affected communities are overcoming challenges:

The declaration made 45 counties eligible to apply for help under
FEMA’s Individual Assistance (IA) program.

In addition, local, county and state government infrastructure and
certain private nonprofit organizations in 50 counties became eligible
to receive funding through FEMA’s Public Assistance (PA) program to
repair and rebuild certain eligible disaster-damaged facilities.
Local, county and state government expenses related to debris removal,
saving lives, providing security, and managing the immediate response
became eligible for reimbursement.

Hazard Mitigation Grant funds were made available statewide. Because
North Carolina took proactive efforts in Emergency Management, the
state mitigation funding amount is 5 percent more than those states
that meet minimum requirements. This will bring millions of additional
dollars to the state for recovery programs.

BIG DISASTER TAKES BIG RESPONSE

FEMA individual assistance to North Carolina has surpassed $96
MILLION, with nearly 82,000 survivors applying for federal and state
assistance for housing, personal property and other expenses.

	* 82,000 North Carolina residents registered with FEMA.
	* Nearly $67 MILLION approved for housing assistance, including
short-term rental assistance and home repair costs.
	* More than $29 MILLION has been approved to cover other essential
disaster-related needs, such as medical and dental expenses and lost
personal possessions.
	* MORE THAN $97 MILLION in low-interest disaster loans for
homeowners, renters, businesses and private nonprofit organizations
has been approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
	* 271 households are currently checked in the Transitional Sheltering
Assistance (TSA) Program. 100 households have been licensed-in to
Manufactured Housing Units. At the height of the TSA program, more
than 1900 survivors approved for housing.
	* Nearly $188 MILLION National Flood Insurance Program claims paid.
Nearly 6,000 flood insurance claims received.
	* At peak operations, more than 1,300 federal employees worked the
disaster in North Carolina.
	* The state and FEMA staffed and operated 38 Disaster Recovery
Centers and Mobile Disaster Recovery Centers. Before establishing
DRCs, MORE THAN 200 DISASTER SURVIVOR ASSISTANCE TEAM MEMBERS went
from door to door and store to store in damaged areas to provide
information on FEMA assistance. They also staffed Mobile Disaster
Recovery Centers that went to busy areas to provide information.
	* Public Assistance, which funds the rebuilding of infrastructure,
public structures and reimburses local government for emergency
response during disasters have received NEARLY 450 applications with
NEARLY 2,100 PROJECTS IDENTIFIED, totaling more than $413 MILLION; 377
projects have been obligated for over $32 MILLION (FEDERAL SHARE).
	* FEMA’S HAZARD MITIGATION 406 PROGRAM proposals can augment Public
Assistance funding, as is the case in North Carolina. To date,
mitigation staff identified 28 PROJECTS for additional mitigation
funding, totaling NEARLY $1.6 MILLION.
	* Hazard Mitigation’s Community Education Outreach counseled 9,020
survivors at 38 Disaster Recovery Centers and Mobile Recovery Centers
and 3,000 individuals at building supply stores, municipal buildings,
libraries and fire departments on the importance of incorporating
mitigation measures into recovery building projects.
	* In partnership with the state, FEMA’s 404 Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program staff have supported North Carolina Emergency Management in
collecting more than 2,300 HOMEOWNER APPLICATIONS for acquisition,
elevation or reconstruction of homes to reduce the risk of loss of
life and property from future disasters.

VOLUNTEERS: THE BACKBONE OF LONG-TERM RECOVERY

Recovery has significantly progressed because of voluntary, FAITH AND
COMMUNITY-BASED GROUPS that are donating their time and skills to help
survivors muck out, repair and rebuild their homes. These groups are
always the first and last presence to help disaster survivors recover.

Voluntary organizations have served over 1.6 MILLION MEALS and 284,292
SNACKS and provided over 200,000 GOODS AND SERVICES to thousands of
people –and pets –in need. Long Term Recovery Committees are
established in some affected communities and forming in others to
assist those who still have unmet needs.

INTERAGENCY RECOVERY COORDINATION

The IRC multiagency group brings the full force of the federal family
to federally declared disasters to identify the tools and resources
necessary to support the state on its path to a sustained recovery.

The key outcome is the acceleration of the recovery process after a
disaster through collaborative and inclusive planning processes with
federal, state, tribal and local partners. Efforts include
coordinating with whole community partners, mitigating risks,
incorporating continuity planning, identifying resources, and
developing capacity to effectively manage the recovery process.

All six of the Recovery Support Functions were activated for North
Carolina. Five remain active including:

	* Community Planning and Capacity Building - FEMA
	* Economic - U.S. Department of Commerce - Economic Development
Administration
	* Housing - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
	* Infrastructure Systems - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
	* Natural and Cultural Resources - U.S. Department of Interior

The group has completed the Mission Scoping Assessment, a compilation
of issues the recovery support functions found in North Carolina. The
group is currently working on the Recovery Support Strategy, which
will suggest actions to aid the state in recovery.

Whole community partners continue to collaborate to find solutions to
enable North Carolinas recovery and will be here as long as it takes.

For more information on North Carolina’s recovery, visit
fema.gov/disaster/4285 [https://www.fema.gov/disaster/4285] and
readync.org [http://www.readync.org/]. Follow FEMA on Twitter at
@femaregion4 [http://www.twitter.com/femaregion4] and North Carolina
Emergency Management @NCEmergency
[https://twitter.com/NCEmergency?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor]_._

###

_Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race,
color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English
proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been
discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-3362 or TTY at
800-462-7585. _

_FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to
ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and
improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to,
recover from and mitigate all hazards. Follow FEMA on Twitter at
__@femaregion4_ [http://www.twitter.com/femaregion4]. _Download the
FEMA app with tools and tips to keep you safe before, during and after
disasters. _

_Dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162 to speak with a trained call specialist
about questions you have regarding Hurricane Matthew; the service is
free, confidential and available in any language. They can help direct
you to resources. Call 5-1-1 or 877-511-4662 for the latest road
conditions or check the ReadyNC mobile app, which also has real-time
shelter and evacuation information. For updates on Hurricane Matthew
impacts and relief efforts, go to __ReadyNC.org_
[http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=35936152&msgid=386189&act=7ATW&c=1346310&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.readync.org]_ or
follow N.C. Emergency Management on __Twitter_
[https://twitter.com/NCEmergency]_ and __Facebook_
[http://www.facebook.com/ncemergency]_. People or organizations that
want to help ensure North Carolina recovers can visit
__NCdisasterrelief.org_ [http://ncdisasterrelief.org/]_ or text
NCRecovers to 30306. _

_The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal
government’s primary source of money for the long term rebuilding of
disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters,
businesses of all sizes, and private nonprofit organizations fund
repairs or rebuilding efforts and cover the cost of replacing lost or
disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses
not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not
duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations. For more
information, applicants may contact SBA’s Customer Service Center by
calling (800) 659-2955, emailing __disastercustomerservice@sba.gov__,
or visiting SBA’s website at __www.sba.gov/disaster_
[http://www.sba.gov/disaster]_. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals
may call (800) 877-8339._