Families in western North Carolina recovering from Helene are preparing to move out of hotels next week.
Earlier this week, Sen. Ted Budd joined others in sharing his concerns that Helene victims are being forced out of hotels by FEMA.
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Channel 9′s Dave Faherty was in Newland Thursday where he spoke with several families about having a place to stay.
Families at the Inn at Shady Lawn in Newland said their homes were damaged or lifted off their foundations during the flooding.
For several months, they have gotten vouchers allowing them to stay in hotels after temporary assistance from FEMA. The vouchers are good through Jan. 24.
Hotel residents told Faherty that while work has been done to repair their homes, there are still mold issues and other problems preventing them from moving back in.
Terry McKinney and his wife are calling the Inn at Shady Lawn home. About a mile away, more than two feet of water flooded their home, and the walls were torn apart to keep the mold from growing.
McKinney said he’s worried.
“I try to keep it in the back of my head but on a scale of 1-10, probably an 8,” he said. “There’s no place like home.”
McKinney isn’t alone.
A couple who lived along the Elk River said the flooding lifted their mobile home off its foundation, slamming it into trees.
“Now they want to kick everybody out and I don’t think that’s right because they don’t have any place to go,” said resident Joyce Lyons.
Resident Cleland Haney said the FEMA voucher program has put a roof over his family’s heads while repairs were made to his apartment.
“They seemed to have done me pretty decent,” Haney said. “I got the $750 and then a certain amount for displacement.”
The owner of the inn, who is also cooking meals, said she has eight to nine families currently staying and is very concerned about the bitterly cold temperatures.
“As long as I have rooms and I have heat, I will allow people to stay in the hotel at our expense,” said Suzzannah Gittner, The Inn at Shady Lawn. “But I don’t, at some point I don’t have unlimited resources.”
FEMA said that 10,000 people have used transitional sheltering assistance since the storm.
Officials said they let families know seven days before their checkout date.
Late Thursday afternoon, Gov. Josh Stein asked FEMA to extend the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program to eligible North Carolinians for an additional six months through Sept. 30, 2025.
VIDEO: She needed a $200 repair after Hurricane Helene. FEMA offered to pay thousands for a hotel, instead.