Hurricane victims frustrated by slow pace of recovery
SPRING LAKE, N.C. — The heating and air conditioning in Carrie Johnson’s home — damaged by Hurricane Matthew in 2016 — still wasn’t fixed when Hurricane Florence flooded her house last September. Now, her home of over 50 years is gutted, the flooring and walls nothing more than bare wooden beams smelling faintly of river water.
Estimated damage to the home is over $52,000, she said. The 81yearold received about $13,000 in shortterm federal assistance, but she’s not sure what to do next.
“The little bit of money I got, it wouldn’t even fix this room, I don’t think, let alone the rest of the house,” Johnson said.
For Johnson and many other displaced hurricane victims, the next step would be seeking longerterm federal rebuilding funds administered by the state. But based on slow payouts after Matthew, they fear the process could take years.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded North Carolina a community block grant of $237 million for Matthew recovery, but as of July the state had spent only about 6%, according to Laura Hogshead, chief operating officer of the state Office of Recovery and Resiliency. By comparison, South Carolina spent 22% of its award for Matthew by December 2018.
Hogshead said South Carolina was already established as a grantee, whereas North Carolina had to apply for grantee status before receiving funds.
“So for the first 311 days, the state had literally no ability to pull on those funds,” she told lawmakers in May.
HUD spokesman Brian Sullivan declined to comment beyond referring a reporter to online materials that characterize North Carolina as a “slow spender” of its Matthewrelated grant.
Delays also have been blamed on a lack of institutional knowledge about this type of funding, which the state hadn’t received since 2003 and is subject to regulations that change over time.
Being displaced has also taken its toll on Johnson, who lives on a fixed retirement income and is staying with her daughter. Debora Hudson. Because she couldn’t afford a large storage unit, Johnson discarded many possessions; others collect dust and mildew on her back porch.
Besides longterm recovery funds, Hudson said her mother’s only option for repairs is through volunteers. But even volunteer repairs aren’t likely to address longerterm stormproofing.
Volunteers haven’t started on Johnson’s Spring Lake home. She has no time frame for moving back.