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North Carolina Hurricane Matthew

DR-4285-NC
North Carolina

Peryòd Ensidan: Oct 4, 2016 - Oct 24, 2016

Dat Deklarasyon: Oct 10, 2016

Resous Lokal

Nouvèl & Laprès Lokal

Vizite paj Nouvèl & Laprès pou jwenn aktyalite, fich ransèyman, nòt laprès, ak lòt resous miltimedya.

Local Resources Custom Text

What to Expect After You Apply

Once homeowners register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a FEMA housing inspector will call to schedule an inspection for those living in designated counties.

Filing a Flood Insurance Claim

If you have experienced a flood, you can file your flood insurance claim by following these steps on Floodsmart.gov.

Beware of Fraud & Scams When Seeking Disaster Assistance

After a disaster scam artists, identity thieves and other criminals may attempt to prey on vulnerable survivors. The most common post-disaster fraud practices include phony housing inspectors, fraudulent building contractors, bogus pleas for disaster donations and fake offers of state or federal aid. Learn how to address disaster fraud.

Local Resources Custom Text OLD - DO NOT USE

12 Recovery Tips for Hurricane Matthew Survivors

Rebuilding Stronger

North Carolina survivors who have questions about their flood insurance policies and coverage should call the FEMA Helpline at 800-621-3362 (Option 2) 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. Specialists can help with service claims, provide general information regarding policies and offer technical assistance to aid in recovery.

For more information on North Carolina’s recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4285 and readync.org. Follow FEMA on Twitter at @femaregion4 and North Carolina Emergency Management @NCEmergency.

FEMA mitigation specialists are on hand to answer questions and offer home improvement tips along with proven methods to prevent or reduce damage from future disasters as well as offer tips and techniques to build hazard resistant homes. Most of the information and the free publications provided are geared for do-it-yourself work and general contractors.

Free reference booklets with information on protecting your home from flood damage will be available at all locations. More information about strengthening property can be found at www.fema.gov/what-mitigation.

Volunteers- The Backbone of Disaster Recovery

Serving People and Bringing Them Hope

For more information, contact North Carolina VOAD

North Carolina Baptists on Mission Disaster Relief

When visiting with homeowners who have just gone through a disaster, the men and women volunteers of North Carolina Baptists on Mission see discouragement in the families’ eyes.

“We ask if the home was affected by hurricane Matthew and if we can help,” said Gaylon Moss, disaster relief coordinator for the organization with its headquarters in Cary. “Then you see life come back. Hope is the biggest thing we do. Once they have hope they get energy and the courage to go on.”

Founded in 1984, North Carolina Baptists on Mission has worked hundreds of disasters in North Carolina and elsewhere alongside FEMA, the state and local governments where help is needed.

The North Carolina Baptists on Mission have trained 15,000 volunteers over the past 18 years. Since Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina, the organization has worked 16,400 volunteer days to help feed survivors, clean up and clear debris as well as repair projects.

Moss said this volunteer work is one of the missions of the North Carolina Baptist Convention performed by people who can range in age from teens to senior citizens.

“We have volunteers all across the state and in every county,” Moss said. “We partner with Long Term Recovery Committees when possible. We gather information on where the needs are the greatest and the impacts are the most in order to marshal our resources.”

The volunteers generally focus on tree removal, muck-out, tear-out and repairs. They have worked all the big disasters including hurricanes Floyd, Katrina and Sandy. In 2015 alone, the organization responded to 15 disasters involving tornadoes, floods and an earthquake that occurred half way around the world in Nepal.

While some volunteers have specific skills, Moss said the organization looks for people who are patient, flexible and tenacious. The work can range from hard labor to putting up sheetrock on walls, taping and mudding. There is no charge to those they help.

What do the volunteers get back for giving up holidays, family vacations and other commitments?

“Satisfaction of knowing they helped someone in a time of need when they hear words of ‘thank you’ and being described as ‘angels,’” according to Moss.

Note: This is the first in a series of stories highlighting volunteer efforts in North Carolina.

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Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church

Many Methodists Called to Disaster Response Ministries

DURHAM, N.C. – Ann Huffman says she would never have believed she would be helping people cope with their losses from Hurricane Matthew when it slammed North Carolina.

“But I have the temperament to do this – it is a wonderful privilege,” said Huffman, who as a retired eighth grade and high school teacher of math and science for 17 years, says she has lived by the motto “panic will never help.” 

Her motto fits her volunteer work perfectly. Huffman works as a disaster call center coordinator out of an office in Garner for the North Carolina Conference Disaster Response for the United Methodist Church. She also is the president of the North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NC VOAD), which with FEMA and the State of North Carolina, assists Long Term Recovery Communities in meeting unmet needs of disaster survivors.

 “We do muck-outs, tear-outs, clean-outs and mold treatments,” Huffman said. She added that mold sets in so quickly that if it isn’t treated early, the survivors will end up with even more damage.

Volunteers, who come from all over the country, also prepare meals, help rebuild, make repairs as well as build new homes. They work with those with unmet needs and low-income families who cannot hire contractors to do the work for them.

“We stay a long time,” she said. “In fact, we were still working on Irene damage from 2011 when Matthew hit.”

Volunteers receive eight hours of training before going out in the field, must pay for their transportation as well as their food. Housing – often a place to put a tent – is provided. Currently the Western North Carolina Conference Disaster Response, to which Huffman belongs, has 557 trained volunteers. The organization has been doing some form of disaster work since 1996.

Survivors may wonder why the volunteers would put up their own money and live in such spartan conditions to help them, Huffman said.

“They wonder why people want to help them and will keep calling to see if they are really coming,” she said. “At some point it dawns on them that they will actually be able to go home again.

As for the volunteers, she said their motive is a deep-seated need that humans have to help people.

“Often, volunteers will go home and send a note thanking me for letting them come.”

This is the second in a series of stories about volunteer organizations that play a big part in disaster recovery

 

North Carolina Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Volunteerism is a Way of Life for Mormons

Latter Day Saints churches in Fayetteville stood empty for four straight Sundays immediately following Hurricane Matthew hitting North Carolina. It wasn’t because the parishioners were sleeping in; they were all out helping those who had been affected by the hurricane. Members of the church are commonly known as Mormons.

The Fayetteville area was one of the hardest hit areas in the state.

“They canceled church services so they could work in the command center, mucking out homes and buildings or cutting trees,” said Jere Snyder, a North Carolina disaster coordinator for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Snyder said 3,000 volunteers showed up every weekend. Other areas didn’t cancel services but did send willing parishioners to assist with disaster cleanup.

Volunteerism is a way of life for the religious community, said Snyder. “It’s been going on ever since the church was founded in 1830. Our feeling is Jesus Christ would have us do this – be in service to our fellow man.”

Mormon crews from as far away as Richmond, Virginia; Greensboro and Asheville also came to Fayetteville to help and returned three weekends in a row to help.

“We’ll do whatever we can do for those affected because it is hard to get back to normal,” Snyder added.

The Mormons coordinate with FEMA, state and local emergency managers, long term recovery committees and the North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters to determine where people need help. Two of the churches were converted into a call center and a distribution center, with the church grounds transforming into campgrounds for volunteers.

In the call center volunteers managed a hotline where survivors could call in and ask for help. Snyder said it is much more effective than going door-to-door asking people if they needed help.

“The people on the hotline also help survivors by listening and talking to them, saying help will be on the way. At the beginning of the call survivors sound overwhelmed but by the end they are thankful,” he said.

“They were not only grateful that someone would come to help, they also were so thankful that someone cared. Most were in a state of shock and were traumatized,” he said.

As for the volunteers, working disasters can be a life-changing event, Snyder added.

“With young people, it changes them. They get a whole different outlook on life,” he said. “And it brings satisfaction [to more seasoned volunteers]. It can be some of the most spiritual times in their lives to selflessly serve and attend to people’s needs.”

This is the third in a series of web stories on volunteer organizations that provided assistance to Hurricane Matthew survivors in North Carolina.

For more information, contact North Carolina VOAD

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Long-Term Recovery Begins at the Local Level

In the aftermath of a disaster like Hurricane Matthew, survivors need help that is both short-term for immediate needs and long-term for getting back to normal.

Throughout North Carolina, long-term recovery depends on the behind-the-scenes work of local committees, like the Cumberland Disaster Recovery Coalition (CDRC), that are part of a state and federal network. Who better to understand the unique needs of a survivor on the road to recovery than people from that survivor’s community?

The CDRC is working to meet the unmet needs of Cumberland residents who were affected by Hurricane Matthew with volunteer labor, supplies and grants. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) estimates that North Carolinians have $6.5 million in unmet needs resulting from the hurricane. FEMA provides some funding and guidance to the coalition as well as other committees. The North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disasters also provides oversight and helps secure volunteers, funding and supplies.

The coalition, which has been active for several years, experienced Hurricane Matthew’s wrath firsthand and had to move from its flooded office in the basement of the Fayetteville United Way before getting back to the business of helping survivors. It has about 60 members who represent faith-based organizations, local charities, community foundations and independent agencies from throughout Cumberland County.

The coalition divides its work among seven committees:

  • Case management;
  • Unmet needs;
  • Donations;
  • Volunteers;
  • Construction;
  • Finance; and
  • Spiritual.

Each committee has its own tasks, but generally, efforts include recruiting volunteers (both individuals and organizations) to repair or rebuild homes, seeking donations and grants to purchase supplies, and working with, screening and advocating for survivors.

So far, more than two dozen Cumberland County residents have phoned for help from the CDRC. Calls continue to come in. “Within 18 months, we have a goal of restoring 250 homes to a safe, habitable condition,” said Steve Rogers, coalition chairman. This work may include new siding for one home, repainting another, and replacing lost appliances and furniture for another.

The coalition hired four case managers who will supervise 20 case workers. The goal is to help survivors develop and implement a recovery plan.

Case workers interview families and submit their reports to the case managers for review. The case managers then present the situation to the CDRC Unmet Needs Committee, which is made up of local and nonprofit leaders, to determine how to help the applicant. The family’s name is withheld for their protection and privacy.

By the end of February, Rogers said he wants to have helped five families with their recovery needs. Initially the unmet needs committee will meet every two weeks, then weekly, to review cases.

The CDRC has some funds, including an $11,000 surplus from the 2011 tornado disaster. And companies, senior citizens’ organizations and individuals are calling with donations, all of which are greatly appreciated, he added.

Rogers also applies for grants from foundations and organizations to assist his clients’ unmet needs. The North Carolina Community Foundation has a disaster fund of $330,000, and will award one $10,000 grant to eligible nonprofit organizations such as long-term recovery committees. Rogers plans to bundle five or six projects and apply for the grant.

Rogers has been involved with disaster relief since he was a teenager. As a Boy Scout in the mid-1980s, at age 14, he volunteered when a tornado devastated nearby counties. That experience reinforced the scout motto he knew so well, “Be Prepared.” Rogers took that to heart.

In 2009, he started a business to document people’s belongings. He gave seminars at libraries, churches, the Fayetteville Technical Community College and other places discussing safety, security and emergency preparedness. That led to his involvement with the CDRC and his eventual chairmanship.

“I’m an advocate for being prepared; education is so important,” he said. “People say ‘that will never happen to me’ or ‘that’s what I have insurance for.’ However, people feel differently when a disaster happens this close to home.”

Rogers plans to keep the coalition’s focus on preparedness year-round by attending fairs, community events and other activities where he can talk to and provide people with information.

For more information on committees and the CDRC, call 910-745-7021 (please leave a message). Information on other long-term recovery committees in North Carolina is available online at www.ncvoad.org/cms/. For more information on North Carolina’s recovery, visit fema.gov/disaster/4285 and readync.org. Follow FEMA on Twitter at @femaregion4 and North Carolina Emergency Management @NCEmergency.

Obligasyon Finansman

Asistans Endividyèl Montan
Total Asistans Lojman (Housing Assistance - HA) - Dola ki Apwouve $69,249,444.05
Total Asistans Lòt Bezwen (Other Needs Assistance - ONA) - Dola ki Apwouve $29,592,768.54
Total Pogram Endividyèl & Kay Dola ki Apwouve $98,842,212.59
Aplikasyon Asistans Endividyèl ki Apwouve 28971
Asistans Piblik Montan
Emergency Work (Categories A-B) - Dollars Obligated $79,407,248.84
Permanent Work (Categories C-G) - Dollars Obligated $203,270,840.34
Total Asistans Piblik Sibvansyon Dola Akòde $292,487,587.18

Lis Sant Rekiperasyon pou Dezas (DRC)

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