ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has been steadily working to aid Western North Carolina after the Hurricane Helene disaster.
Their relief sites, or Disaster Recovery Centers, offer face-to-face assistance from FEMA agents for any disaster-impacted member of the general public.
In Asheville, the nearest FEMA DRC is open 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days a week at A. C. Reynolds High School, 1 Rocket Dr.
It should be open for the foreseeable future, too.
“We will be here as long as we are needed,” said Carmen Torres, a FEMA agent who came to North Carolina all the way from Puerto Rico.
At this point, the DRC is a well-oiled machine. Visitors can park in several lots on the Reynolds campus and follow the white arrow signs to get to the DRC hub. Once arrived, visitors are greeted by FEMA workers and settled in metal folding chairs on the Reynolds cafeteria patio.
At this point, visitors wait for their number to be called. Depending on how busy the DRC is at the time of arrival, there could be up to an hour wait, but the line moves steadily.
Inside the hub, visitors receive a sticky note with their number written on it and are directed towards a booth with a FEMA employee.
It is here that workers like Torres can provide the most help.
“There are different kind of assistances that FEMA can provide. Each case is unique,” Torres said. “As of now, FEMA has approved more than $97.5 million to survivors in terms of housing and other kinds of assistance.”
Visitors should bring:
- Proof of insurance, if they have it
- FEMA case number if already applied
- Information about damages sustained
- Identification
- Social Security number
“It’s important to have some kind of identification, but if they do not have them because some people lost everything, that’s something that can be worked through,” Torres said.
With this information, FEMA works with DRC visitors to give them the best possible chance of their application qualifying for $750 of relief money.
“That $750, that is not a loan,” Torres clarified. “That’s direct money for people to jumpstart their recovery.”
It may take between 10 to 14 days for FEMA to fully process an application. However, applicants may call the FEMA help line at any point with questions or concerns: (800) 621-3362.
“This may sound strange, but we feel, in the heart, this damage,” Torres said. “Really.”
