The Johns family in Brevard lost their home of 25 years in a catastrophic mudslide caused by Hurricane Helene.
Their mortgage was nearly paid off. The family had homeowners insurance, but their claim was denied.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided the Johns family with an award of $58,000, which helped with temporary housing needs. About $12,000 of that was designated for personal property replacement and about $42,000 was meant to replace their home.
“You can’t replace a home for $42,000,” Paul Reeves said at the Governor’s Advisory Committee on Western North Carolina Recovery meeting on Monday.
The family received $10,000 from a governor’s grant to prepare the site for rebuilding, according to Reeves, president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of North Carolina.
Reeves’s organization is bringing in other funding sources to rebuild the Johns family’s home. The new foundation is in, the house is framed, and the Johns family expects to move in by early 2026.
“Just know that the on-the-ground dollars are making a difference and having a huge impact on the families that we serve,” Reeves said.
Habitat for Humanity and Baptists on Mission have used the governor’s grant funds to repair more than 500 homes in western North Carolina, according to Gov. Josh Stein at Monday’s meeting.
When people are waiting to get a roof over their heads, help can’t come fast enough, he said.
“It’s really great because, frankly, [the organizations] move faster than the federal government does,” Stein said. “They immediately stepped up and met the moment.”
But more than a year after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc on western North Carolina, Stein said there’s still plenty to be done, and more funding is needed to make it happen.
Last month, Stein asked Congress and the Trump administration to send an additional $13.5 billion to North Carolina towards recovery from Helene.
With the federal shutdown headed into a third week, the governor said he’s urged the state’s congressional delegation to work across the aisle for a compromise.
“So far we have been able to maintain our recovery progress… but we cannot continue at this pace indefinitely without a functioning federal government,” Stein said.
Over 300 homeowners have submitted applications to FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program since February, but none have been approved, according to Stein.
This program acquires homes in flood prone areas so that residents can use the money to resettle and “move forward with their lives,” Stein said.
“My team and I are asking FEMA, ‘What is the holdup?’ We’re working hard to get some answers,” Stein said.
When he met with Office of Management and Budget director Russell Vought during his trip to Washington in September, Stein asked him to exempt all disaster preparedness and recovery efforts in North Carolina from the ongoing shutdown. There’s no response yet.
Neither the White House nor western NC congressman Chuck Edwards (R-NC11) responded to requests for comment on Stein’s remarks.
While there’s still work to be done, the state has made progress over the past year, Stein’s staff shared at the meeting.
Residents have been approved for more than $524 million in FEMA individual assistance, and more than 6,800 households have received help with temporary housing, according to Matt Calabria, director of the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina (GROW NC).
North Carolina is the fastest state in more than a decade to begin rebuilding homes after a major hurricane using funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Community Development Block Grand Disaster Recovery program, Calabria shared.
More than 72,000 households have received food assistance and more than 10,000 households have received utility assistance, according to Calabria.
Additionally, families have received over 48,000 higher education scholarships and grants, and 318 public schools have received assistance to replace food and food-related equipment and supplies.
All 13 impacted state parks and five historic sites have reopened either partially or fully.
“It was an internal goal that we get all of these major state assets open for business once again by the one-year mark, which we’re glad to have done,” Calabria said. “This has a significant economic and tourism impact as well, so we’re very grateful for that.”
Hence then, the article about stein urges end to federal shutdown to speed up helene recovery was published today ( ) and is available on NC news line ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Stein urges end to federal shutdown to speed up Helene recovery )
Also on site :