Saturday marks one year since Hurricane Helene touched down in western North Carolina, causing flash flooding that killed 176 people and destroyed hundreds of homes. More than 100 families are still getting help from a FEMA housing program and trying to forge a path forward.
At the Old Fort RV Park, homes owned by FEMA fill many lots.
Stacy Keeter and her daughter are from Fairview, and flooding from Helene destroyed much of what they owned. For the last ten months, they have called the RV park their home.
“It’s great,” Keeter told Channel 9’s Dave Faherty. “It’s wonderful, blessed — very blessed.”
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Keeter is like many at the park who believe without the temporary housing, they would be homeless.
Many of the homes came from a staging area in Hickory that includes one, two, and three bedroom homes along with RV’s.
Lauren Whiteside lives with his family in a FEMA home in McDowell County. He says he has been savings for months in hopes of buying the home to replace the one Helene destroyed.
“Basically, numbers have been put out there, but I was told unless I get it in writing, it’s not a guarantee,” Whiteside said. “I haven’t received nothing in writing at the moment.”
FEMA says its Direct Housing Assistance program has helped 243 families. So far, 24 families have purchased units and 61 more have expressed interest.
One mother who lives in a unit in Caldwell County says while she could buy the home at a steep discount, the concern is that she would also have to pay to have it relocated.
“They give you like 60-90 days. You have to relocate on your own, and they don’t tell you where they’re gonna put you,” she said. “They don’t send you to a different place or give you and resources — you’re on your own.”
FEMA says it determines pricing by using adjusted fair market value, the number of bedrooms, and the number of months a survivor has been living in the unit.
The agency says someone wanting to purchase a unit must show they either have the financial ability to do it or that another agency or nonprofit can support them through the process.
Emory Fuller is living in a two-bedroom FEMA home after his roof collapsed in Burnsville during the storm.
“I’m hoping to have it all done within the next month,” he said.
Right now, he is clearing his damaged property in Burnsville with hopes of relocating his FEMA home to Yancey County.
“There is nothing that is as new as this or this size that we would be able to obtain on our own for that price,” Fuller said.
There are already empty lots in McDowell County where FEMA homes sat just a few months ago. The direct housing program is available for only 18-months after the disaster declaration. FEMA says the homes not purchased here will be posted for sale online.
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