100,000+ North Carolinians apply for FEMA assistance as agency faces backlash

LENOIR, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — As North Carolina continues to grapple with the impacts of Helene, tens of thousands of people across the state continue to ask federal agencies for financial assistance.

“This is right here in front of the garage door,” Dylan Conner said in a video of him walking through his house in Lenoir.

Caldwell County is among 27 in the state eligible for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Administration.

“I mean, it’s just kind of crazy. It just started coming out of the walls and the floor in our room,” he said. “It’s nothing like I have ever seen, that’s for sure.”

It’s a story that unfortunately thousands across western North Carolina have experienced as federal officials survey the damage.

“People are going through serious trauma right now,” John Mills with FEMA said. “Some people might not know what they are going to do next. And that is why we are committed to listening to survivors.”

As of Monday, state officials said roughly 104,000 North Carolinians have registered through FEMA’s disaster assistance program, and tens of thousands have been approved. FEMA says so far, more than $32 million has been distributed.

“Their website shows that they have the $750 immediate funds and then they gave us $250 for miscellaneous funds and then for the rest of it, they are still reviewing it,” Connor said.

The money, meant to jumpstart recovery, can be applied for in-person with a FEMA representative, over the phone, or online. But when an entire region is without reliable cell service and drivable roads, the process has been difficult for some.

A couple who lives in a rental home in Arden, just south of Asheville, were too in shock to go on camera but shared a screenshot of their conversation with a FEMA inspector. After missing an appointment because of driving conditions, they were given a warning that if it happened again, their application could be withdrawn.

In a press conference Monday, Gov. Roy Cooper addressed ongoing backlash that the agency has faced, as well as rumors that depict the agency is doing more harm than good.

“People who are saying that are misinformed or are intentionally providing misinformation. If you knew what was happening on the ground, you would see that there is a coordinated effort to help people,” Cooper said.

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For more information on disaster assistance, visit the FEMA website.

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