The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Monday it is releasing another $26 million to purchase 75 homes in western North Carolina damaged during Hurricane Helene.
The announcement comes a day before newly-confirmed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is scheduled to visit the area. DHS is the agency that houses FEMA and has been shut down for more than 50 days after members of Congress failed to come to an agreement on oversight for Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, delaying recovery funding.
The Hazard Mitigation Home Buyout program, which allows homeowners to apply to have their damaged property bought out by local governments at pre-storm values, had also been "severely stalled” because of a FEMA regulation that restricted roads being built or repaired on the land that is to be bought out.
“This is just one example of how red tape impacts survivors and delays recovery,” a press release from FEMA stated.
The release stated that the agency is “redoubling its efforts to find a creative solution to administrative and regulatory challenges.”
FEMA finalized a plan to address properties impacted by road construction and shared next steps with the state of North Carolina last week, according to the release.
The FEMA approvals announced Monday allow local governments to begin the “pre-offer” process with some homeowners who applied to the program in Henderson, Polk and Yancey counties.
READ MORE: FEMA approves first batch of home buyouts. Homeowners still face a lengthy process
This process involves a property survey and appraisal, after which the local government makes an offer to purchase the house. If the offer is accepted, the state's contractors demolish the house and oversee the eventual return of the property to the local government. Throughout this process the state funds the entire project and must later seek reimbursement from FEMA for the costs.
“In a lot of ways it feels like it should be the finish line, but it's really the starting gun,” Matt Calabria said, describing the FEMA approval process to state lawmakers last week during a committee hearing on Helene recovery.
Calabria leads the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina. He said 683 people have applied to the program in total.
Mullin instructed FEMA to clear the remaining backlog of buyout requests and expedite approvals to the greatest extent possible, according to the agency’s press release.
“Under Secretary Mullin’s empowering leadership, FEMA is taking swift, decisive action to help survivors,” said Senior Official Performing the Duties of the FEMA Administrator, Karen S. Evans. “The funding announced today will make a real difference for recovering communities, but our work is not finished.”
This latest round of funding will pay for the acquisition of 53 homes in Yancey County, 18 homes in Henderson County and four homes in Polk County.
