FOR HUNDREDS OF LENOIR COUNTY
RESIDENTS FLOODED BY HURRICANE
MATTHEW... TONIGHT WAS A TIME TO
GET ANSWERS... AND
VOICE FRUSTRATION.
MANY SAY THEY'VE BEEN WAITING
FOR MONTHS... WITH VERY FEW
ANSWERS... AND LITTLE MONEY
GIVEN TO THEM TO HELP.
OUR JOSH BIRCH WAS AT THAT
MEETING... AND JOSH... THINGS
ARE GETTING TO THE DESPERATE
STAGE FOR SOME PEOPLE
I SPOKE WITH A LENOIR COUNTY
TEACHER... WHO SAYS HE AND HIS
FAMILY ON THE VERGE OF BEING
HOMELESS... AND SLEEPING IN
THEIR CAR AGAIN.
HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE... NOW IN
LIMBO... WITH THE WAITING
PERIOD... JUST STARTING.
OCTOBER 8TH... 2016... HURRICANE
MATTHEW
SLAMS THE EAST.
"LOTS OF WIND, AND IT SOUNDED
LIKE EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO
COME APART."
THE STORM THEN LED TO HISTORIC
FLOODING
IN AREAS LIKE LENOIR COUNTY. BUT
AS THE MONTHS PASS... HUNDREDS
OF FAMILIES ARE STILL IN NEED
"OPTIMISM IS NOT AS HIGH AS IT
WAS EARLIER IN THE MONTH."
JOSEPH NOBLE HAS TAUGHT IN
LENOIR COUNTY FOR 21 YEARS... HE
AND HIS WIFE HAVE
THREE CHILDREN... BUT HAVE ALSO
BEEN
DISPLACED SINCE OCTOBER.
"WE LIVED IN OUR CAR FOR A FEW
NIGHTS WITH A 5, 7 AND 9 YEAR
OLD AND MY WIFE AND A FEW
BELONGINGS, IT'S VERY, VERY
UNCOMFORTABLE."
FOR THE PAST TWO MONTHS... NOBLE
HAS
RECEIVED MONEY FOR A RENTAL...
BUT THAT
MONEY HAS NOW STOPPED... AND
AFTER APPEALING THE DECISION...
THIS TEACHER... AND HIS
FAMILY... COULD BE LEFT OUT IN
THE COLD AGAIN.
THE DAMAGE LEFT BEHIND AT SOME
HOUSES... IS CLEAR.
THE DAMAGE LEFT BEHIND AT SOME
HOUSES... IS CLEAR.
WITH THE ONLY TWO OPTIONS...
RECEIVING
FUNDS TO RAISE THE HOUSE ABOVE
THE FLOOD PLAIN... OR HAVE IT
BOUGHT OUT
ENTIRELY.
"IF WE DON'T, WE'RE GOING TO
HAVE TO MOVE. I DON'T HAVE A
CHOICE. WE CAN SMELL THE MOLD
COMING UP FROM UNDERNEATH THE
HOUSE."
"IT'S VERY, VERY FRUSTRATING. ON
A 1 TO 10 SCALE, A HUNDRED,
PROBABLY A THOUSAND." THE SEARCH
FOR ANSWERS LED FLOOD VICTIMS
HERE... TO HEAR ABOUT FUNDING
THAT
MAY BE AVAILABLE... BUT FOR
SOME... THE
ANSWER WAS DISAPPOINTING.
"IT WOULD BE DOUBTFUL IF WE HAD
FUNDS AVAILABLE BEFORE
THE END OF THIS YEAR."
THE COUNTY IS IN THE PROCESS OF
COLLECTING APPLICATIONS FOR
FUNDING... WHICH HAVE TO BE
SUBMITTED TO THE STATE BY THE
END OF MARCH. BUT FOR THOSE
LOOKING FOR HELP NOW...
FRUSTRATION CONTINUES.
IF YOU WEREN'T ABLE TO GO TO
THAT MEETING... AND THINK YOU
QUALIFY FOR FUNDING TO RAISE
YOUR HOUSE OR HAVE IT BOUGHT
OUT... WE'VE PUT SOME USEFUL
INFORMATION ON OUR WEBSITE. JUST
VISIT WNCT DOT COM.
