The deadlines for applying for two crucial benefits—FEMA Assistance and Disaster Unemployment Assistance—have been extended to March 8 for residents of Western North Carolina affected by Tropical Storm Helene.
Renters and homeowners in the storm-affected WNC counties should visit a Disaster Recovery Center, call the FEMA Helpline at 1-800-621-3362, or request for assistance online at fema.gov/helpishere. WNC citizens shouldn’t expect an extension past March 8, even though the FEMA application deadline has been extended multiple times since the original application period.
The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians of North Carolina and residents of 39 North Carolina counties now have until March 10 to apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance. DUA applications are available at des.nc.gov. Benefits may be available to business owners and those who lost their jobs directly as a result of the catastrophe.
For assistance in applying for benefits or contesting a FEMA decision, call the nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services at 828-253-0406 or submit an application online at pisgahlegal.org if you reside in WNC.
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“We want to encourage everyone impacted by Hurricane Helene to apply for FEMA benefits, not only for themselves but for the long-term recovery of our communities,” Pisgah Legal’s executive director Jackie Kiger stated.
The quantity of FEMA applications submitted in each county will determine how much recovery funding our WNC counties receive. You are assisting your community in obtaining funding to repair roads, bridges, utilities, and other infrastructure by submitting an application for FEMA benefits.
We need all the assistance we can get to reconstruct villages in our mountains after Helene, the biggest natural disaster in our state’s history. Additionally, you might not be eligible for some of the other recovery-related money and resources that will become available for affected households if you do not apply for FEMA help right away.
In 18 counties and the Qualla Boundary in WNC, the nonprofit Pisgah Legal Services offers a wide range of free civil legal aid, anti-poverty campaigning, and health care access.
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Pisgah Legal Services is aiding hurricane survivors with housing issues, including as preventing foreclosure and eviction; guiding homeowners on private insurance denials; and assisting customers in avoiding fraud and scams with contractors and other businesses. Pisgah Legal helped over 25,000 people in the mountain area last year.
