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FEMA outlines housing options for Haywood County: 209 households remain in transitional sheltering assistance
Summary
FEMA told the board it has provided $47M in displacement assistance in Western NC, has placed temporary units and is evaluating private‑site feasibility; in Haywood County FEMA reported 209 households still in transitional shelter assistance and described direct‑housing options and constraints.
FEMA representatives told the Haywood County Board of Commissioners that their response to Tropical Storm Helene includes multiple housing pathways: financial assistance, rental assistance and a direct temporary housing program that can include transportable housing placed on private sites, commercial parks and, if needed, group sites. Marty Baumbach of FEMA said the agency had provided about $47 million in displacement assistance in Western North Carolina and that regional transitional sheltering counts had fallen from more than 9,000 to about 4,800.
Baumbach said Haywood County accounted for about 209 households still using transitional sheltering assistance and reported county damage counts that FEMA tracks: approximately 1,266 owner habitability repairs, 192 owner homes with major damage and 14 destroyed owner homes. He described barriers to placing FEMA units on private sites — septic, electrical hookups, and space for the unit size needed — and said several Haywood site inspections had been returned as infeasible while others were proceeding. FEMA also described rental assistance (approved at 200% of HUD fair‑market rent for this disaster) and said it is pursuing commercial pads and other placements to close remaining gaps.
Commissioners pressed FEMA staff about timelines and whether deadlines would force people from hotel rooms. FEMA said extensions are possible and that the current voucher extension date was Dec. 12 with potential further extensions while needs persist. The agency asked residents who still needed help to contact the local disaster recovery center or call FEMA’s 800 number; it also provided a text shortcut (text DRC and zip code to 43362) to locate the nearest DRC.
