NC attorney weighs in on Helene FEMA aid application process

Three months after Tropical Storm Helene tore through North Carolina, the federal government has committed half a billion dollars toward individual assistance — but the process of getting that relief is proving to be long and lacking for some. 

Max Gibbons works for Pisgah Legal Services. He’s the organization’s pro bono services program director. In early December, Gibbons was in Newland, a small town in Avery County. 

He was helping residents in the area through the process of making insurance claims and applying for individual assistance grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The unexpected nature of the storm paired with the sheer damage it caused strained the amount of aid available to affected residents.

Gibbons put it plainly:

"There aren’t enough resources and that’s the bottom line," Gibbons said. "The hope is that if you’ve suffered a total loss of your home and insurance doesn’t recover it, the hope is that you can get at least the maximum from FEMA, which is $42,500." 

Gibbons has worked with victims of other natural disasters in the past. He said Helene was different from what he had seen before. 

"The issue with this disaster is that virtually everybody in this region suffered a large disruption," Gibbons said. "That isn’t the case in every natural disaster where some people get lucky and aren’t affected at all." 

Still, Gibbons encourages all his clients and anyone in the FEMA application or appeals process to stick with it. Assistance grants are still one of the quickest ways for victims of Helene to get money. 

As of December 12, the North Carolina government says FEMA has granted individuals over $550 million. 

Residents affected by Helene have until January 7 to apply for individual grants from FEMA. 
 

Santiago Ochoa covers healthcare for WFDD in partnership with Report For America. Follow him on X and Instagram: @santi8a98