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Avery County recovery group: 180 families identified after floods, volunteers face housing shortage
Summary
Charles Dunn told the Avery County board that the Long Term Recovery Group has identified 180 affected families with 46 returned home; Samaritan’s Purse and Appalachian Service Project are rebuilding homes but organizers warned of volunteer housing shortages starting in March.
Charles Dunn, representing the Avery County Long Term Recovery Group, updated commissioners on March 3 about the ongoing housing recovery work following recent flooding.
Dunn said the group has identified 180 families affected by the disaster and that 46 of those families are back in their homes. He reported that Appalachian Service Project has signed contracts with three homeowners to build new 900-square-foot homes, and Samaritan’s Purse is replacing five manufactured homes, replacing one stick-built home and performing one repair.
Dunn said the recovery effort’s immediate challenge is housing the expected influx of volunteers beginning in March. “The biggest problem we were having was finding housing for a flood of volunteers coming starting in March,” Dunn said.
The board received the update during the meeting and did not take formal action; county staff later noted individual assistance will end on March 8, affecting how volunteers and homeowners access certain federal aid programs.
The update provides a snapshot of recovery progress—ongoing rebuilding contracts, partner involvement and a near-term operational challenge around volunteer lodging—that county staff and volunteer organizations will need to address as reconstruction accelerates.
