ASHEVILLE – Gov. Josh Stein sent a letter Jan. 16 to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s administrator, urging the agency to extend a program that has helped place thousands of displaced Western North Carolina residents in hotels since Tropical Storm Helene.
In the letter, Stein asks FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell to extend the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program for eligible North Carolinians for an additional six months, through Sept. 30.
“I know FEMA has been working to deliver aid, but the people of western North Carolina are experiencing chaos and uncertainty regarding temporary housing that is untenable.,” Stein said the letter.
“People in the mountains of North Carolina are facing below freezing temperatures. Next week, our state will experience another cold snap that may bring more winter weather. I know that you agree that people are entitled to pass the winter safely and securely as they rebuild their damaged or destroyed homes.”
NC Gov. Josh Stein speaks at the Buncombe County Government Administration in Asheville Thursday, Jan. 2, 2024, announcing his first executive orders which will support those affected by Hurricane Helene.
More: As 12,000 remain displaced from Helene, campers become homes. The problem is keeping them warm
As a winter storm barreled through the region Jan. 10, thousands of residents in hotels by way of TSA vouchers were kept in a state of flux, unsure when their vouchers would expire — leading some non-profits to buy hotel stays for families as temperatures dropped to the teens.
Before 3,500 WNC residents were sent away from hotels on Jan. 11, FEMA announced two last-minute extensions in lieu of the winter storm: On the evening of Jan. 9, the agency announced on social media that it would extend hotel stays until Jan. 12 for WNC households that were scheduled to check out. Then again on Jan. 11, the agency announced the checkout date was extended to Jan. 14.
Most recently, FEMA granted an extension on hotel stays until Jan. 25. The agency posted the announcement on X, formerly Twitter, just before 8:15 p.m. Jan. 13, the night before many families would be forced to check out of the area hotels housing them.
In its post on X, FEMA said families that did check out Jan. 14 were “returning to habitable homes or withdrew from FEMA assistance.”
In total, the program aided 13,075 households since the beginning of Helene on Sept. 27, the agency told the Citizen Times Jan. 14. Only 2,797 households remained in the program as of the evening of Jan. 14.
The program is slated to run until March 28, which is roughly 180 days after Helene, the agency told the Citizen Times Jan. 14. However, some may be booted from hotels before that date if they are deemed ineligible after an upcoming FEMA review.
Household eligibility reviews are dependent on FEMA inspections of housing that was damaged by Helene or was deemed non-occupiable after the storm. The next eligibility review for the program is on Jan. 17, where those found ineligible for the program will be required to check out on Jan. 25, a FEMA spokesperson said.
FEMA asks that anyone still needing housing assistance call 800-621-3362.
This story will be updated.
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Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at rober@gannett.com and follow her on Twitter @ryleyober
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Gov. Stein urges 6-month extension on FEMA’s temporary shelter program