FEMA Declaration

The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster assistance has been made available to the state of North Carolina to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Florence. The President’s action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Beaufort, Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, and Pender counties. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-3362. Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362.

The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.  

You will need to provide the following: Social Security number, or the social security number of a child living at the house. Annual household income. Contact information, insurance information and bank account information ( FEMA needs bank account information so agency can directly deposit $$ into your account.)

Additional Info: Anyone who is denied will be notified and given a chance to appeal. FEMA aid only is available for your primary residence – not vacation homes. FEMA will not duplicate the assistance you receive from your insurance company, but you may receive assistance for items not covered by insurance. Homeowners and renters can also apply for low-interest home repair loans from the Small Business Administration at https://disasterloan.sba.gov

SBA Disaster Loans

SBA provides low-interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, homeowners, and renters. SBA disaster loans can be used to repair or replace the following items damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster: real estate, personal property, machinery and equipment, and inventory and business assets.

You can apply online for all types of SBA disaster assistance loans. The online application is the fastest method to receive a decision about your loan eligibility. You have the option of submitting a paper application by mail. For either application, you must submit the completed loan application and a signed and dated IRS Form 4506-T giving permission for the IRS to provide SBA your tax return information. You may also apply in person at any Disaster Recovery Center and receive personal, one-on-one help from an SBA representative. For information or to find a location near you, please contact our Customer Service Center. Call 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or e-mail disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.

Coastal Management Emergency CAMA General Permits

Coastal property owners who need to replace docks, piers, bulkheads or similar structures damaged by Hurricane Florence along sounds, rivers and creeks may be authorized to do so more quickly through an emergency general permit offered by the N.C. Division of Coastal Management. The emergency permit expedites the approval process for rebuilding docks, piers, bulkheads and similar water dependent structures that meet state standards. The emergency permit may also be used for dune reconstruction and maintenance dredging of existing channels. The normal $200 permit fee is waived for the emergency permit, and, in many cases, no site visit or adjacent property owner notification is required.

Secretary Regan activated the emergency permit today. It can be used in all 20 coastal counties: Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Gates, Hertford, Hyde, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Tyrell, and Washington.

The permit does not eliminate the need to obtain any other required state, local, or federal authorization.

To see Regan’s signed activities, click here.

Legislation That Passed NC General Assembly Could Positively Impact Inspection Fees in Hurricane Hit Areas

Today the North Carolina General Assembly met to start the process of how the state would fund the recovery process from Hurricane Florence.

One item that was included was to allow the Governor to waive the Homeowners Recovery Fee that is paid as part of a building inspections. Many areas are waiving inspection fees but did not have the authority to waive that part of the fee.

The permit does not eliminate the need to obtain any other required state, local, or federal authorization.

WAIVER OF HOMEOWNERS RECOVERY FEE

SECTION 5.6.(a) Notwithstanding G.S. 87-15.6, the Governor may waive the fee assessed by city and county building inspectors and credited to the Homeowners Recovery Fund for the reimbursement of homeowners suffering reimbursable losses in constructing or altering a single-family residential dwelling unit. SECTION 5.6.(b) The waiver authorized under subsection (a) of this section only applies to residents of counties impacted by Hurricane Florence, as determined by the Governor. A permit applicant is allowed a refund of any fee assessed and collected by city and county building inspectors and waived pursuant to this section. A city or county subject to this section shall post notice of the availability of a refund on its Web site.

SECTION 5.6.(c) This section is effective when it becomes law and applies to applications for issuance of a permit subject to the Homeowners Recovery Fund fee that were received on or after September 13, 2018. This section expires December 31, 2018.

The Governor is expected to sign the bipartisan legislation so that it will then become law.