Survivors of the flooding that followed Hurricane Matthew should make or solidify a plan to move from temporary accommodations to more permanent housing as part of their recovery.
If you are living in a hotel paid by FEMA under the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program, remember this assistance is short-term. The program is scheduled to end Saturday, Jan. 7, 2017.
Two ways to search for housing online:
NCHousingHelps.org helps people displaced by Hurricane Matthew locate available, affordable rental housing. This free service can be accessed online 24 hours a day and through a toll-free, bilingual call center, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., at 877-428-8844
The FEMA Housing Portal (https://asd.fema.gov/inter/hportal/home.htm) is intended to help individuals and families who have been displaced by a disaster find a place to live. The portal consolidates rental resources identified and provided by federal agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Veterans Administration, private organizations, and the public to help individuals and families find available rental units in their area.
If you lived in public housing, or a multi-family Section 8 apartment, or had a Housing Choice Voucher before Hurricane Matthew:
You may be eligible for disaster assistance from U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Contact the housing provider that assisted you before the disaster and contact HUD at 336-851-8058 or email at hudhelpingu@hud.gov.
If you need homeowner information and assistance from HUD regarding foreclosure or questions about the next steps with your home:
Contact a HUD-approved housing counseling agency by calling 800-569-4287. You do not have to have a FHA loan to meet with a HUD-approved housing counseling agency, and there is never a fee for foreclosure prevention counseling.
The deadline for registering for FEMA’s Individual Assistance is Monday, Jan. 9, 2017. If you have not yet registered, you are urged to do so as soon as possible.
There are three ways to register with FEMA:
Online at DisasterAssistance.gov.
Call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 for voice, 711 and Video Relay Service. If you are deaf, hard of hearing or have a speech disability and use a TTY, call 800-462-7585.
Download the FEMA Mobile App and apply.
After you register with FEMA, the U.S. Small Business Administration may contact you. SBA is the primary source of funds for property repairs and replacing lost contents following a disaster. The deadline to apply for a low-interest disaster loan from SBA is also Monday, Jan. 9, 2017.
Call the SBA at 800-659-2955 (800-877-8339 TTY). Or visit SBA’s secure website https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/ to apply online.
There is no requirement to take out a loan if one is offered from SBA. If you are approved for a disaster loan, you have 60 days to decide whether to accept the loan. If you are not approved for a loan you may be considered for certain other FEMA grants and programs that could include assistance for disaster-related car repairs, clothing, household items and other expenses.
Voluntary organizations in your community may be able to help you find a more permanent place to live. You may seek referrals for unmet needs by calling United Way at 211. You can find a list of organizations currently assisting survivors at North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster.
For more information on the North Carolina recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4285 and readync.org. Follow FEMA on Twitter at @femaregion4 and North Carolina Emergency Management @NCEmergency.
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. 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 or follow N.C. Emergency Management on Twitter and Facebook. People or organizations that want to help ensure North Carolina recovers can visit 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 non-profit 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 Web site at www.sba.gov/disaster. Deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals may call 800-877-8339.
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