FEMA has awarded more than $26 million to eliminate flood risks for severely damaged properties in North Carolina. The state will use this funding, administered through FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, to buy 75 damaged residential properties in Henderson, Polk and Yancey counties, bringing needed relief to the homeowners. FEMA is acting at the direction of the new Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin.
These buyouts are critical for individuals who survived the storms but whose homes were permanently damaged by floods or landslides. After a disaster, homeowners are often still required to pay mortgages, property taxes and other expenses on their homes even if they are unlivable. By buying the properties from the homeowners, state and local officials lessen the financial burden on these survivors and ensure that the community is more resilient to future flood damage. In addition to the 75 buyouts, Secretary Mullin also instructed FEMA to clear the remaining backlog of buyout requests and expedite approvals to the greatest extent possible.
“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. Secretary Mullin has further encouraged us to redouble our efforts to help the survivors who are still waiting for assistance. FEMA will continue working with our partners in North Carolina until every pending project is resolved.”
These funding announcements will pay for the acquisition of homes located in the following North Carolina communities:
- 53 homes damaged by flood landslides in the Burnsville and Green Mountain communities in Yancey County.
- 18 homes damaged by floods in the Fletcher, Gerton and Hendersonville communities in Henderson County.
- Four homes damaged by floods in the Tryon and Saluda communities in Polk County.
FEMA expects to award more funding for property buyouts acquisitions in the weeks ahead.
The original announcement can be found here.
