Hurricane Matthew Victims Seek Buyouts, Assistance
More than 60 people turned out for the first set of meetings held by state and local officials this week to help people secure buyouts and other assistance for damage caused by Hurricane Matthew.
Representatives from the North Carolina Emergency Management Office joined Greenville and Pitt County officials on Wednesday for the first of four information sessions for city and county residents who suffered damage from the hurricane and subsequent flooding in October and are interested in participating in a buyout or flood mitigation program.
Officials met with residents from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m. at the Pitt County Agricultural Center, 403 Government Circle, and the Harvey Building, 540 Queen St., Grifton. Representatives also will be available to meet with residents today from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at both locations to guide them through the application process.
Deborah Cooley-Godwin, project manager with Emergency Management, said more than 40 residents came to the Pitt County Agricultural Center on Wednesday and about 20 residents came to the Grifton location.
“We had an absolutely great response today,” Cooley-Godwin said Wednesday. “We are encouraging more people to come out on Thursday as well.”
Cooley-Godwin said homeowners should bring insurance information, including policy number; FEMA registration number, along with any information received from FEMA or an insurance company on the amount of damage to a home; and an elevation certificate, if available.
“People whose primary residence was affected will receive priority and rental properties will be moved behind those claims ” she said. “Not that those properties won’t qualify for assistance, but we are prioritizing people who may still be out of their homes.”
Gloria Kesler with Greenville’s community development department said 51 homes that incurred flood damage during Matthew were identified as potentially qualifying for a buyout. The homes have a tax value of about $4.6 million, she said. Kesler said most of the properties that were identified as being eligible were located in the Stancil Drive and Beech Street areas.
Greenville had about 2,000 structures with 12 inches or more of standing water following Hurricane Floyd's flooding in 1999. About 450 properties ended up being purchased in that buyout, Kesler said.
“We were blessed this time,” Kesler said. “A lot of the flood mitigation efforts after Hurricane Floyd really payed off.”
Pitt County Planning Director James Rhodes said about 60 homes have been identified as potential buyouts due to damage from Matthew, including about homes in Grifton and four in Winterville. The properties have a tax value of between $6 million and $7 million, he said.
“A lot of the homes are located along Old River Road near Greenville and a number of homes in Grifton,” Rhodes said.
Rhodes said more than 100 properties in unincorporated Pitt County were bought out following Hurricane Floyd in 1999.
Officials are urging property owners that received damage during Matthew to attend the sessions even if they are not interested in getting rid of the property through a buyout.
“Some people are reluctant because they have lived on a property for years, or it is a property that has been in their families for generations,” Cooley-Godwin said. “But how many times do they want to go through that? We want people to know that we are here to help them get to higher ground and encourage them to apply now before it is too late ... they always can change their mind later.”
Josh May, who owns a home at 901 Ray Crawford Drive in Winterville, said it is not likely that he will change his mind about a buyout of his property.
“This should have happened years ago,” May said. “Some of the houses in this area should have never been built.”
May said the house on Ray Crawford Drive, which was constructed in 1998, has sustained more than $100,000 in flood damages since it was built.
“The house got about $50,000 in damages during Hurricane Floyd which was only a year after it was built,” May said. “The damages from Hurricane Matthew was about $22,000.
“But the house has flooded five or six times in between Floyd and Matthew,” he said. “Every major storm that has come through the area since 1999 has caused damages of about $5,000 to $6,000.”
May said all seven of the homes in the cul-de-sac where his property is located gets frequent flood damages.
“Even big rains will do it some times,” May said. “There have been days where I have put my work clothes in a bag, waded out to my car and then changed when I got to work.
“These homes should never have been built,” May said. “The town (Winterville) knew that area was prone to flooding. FEMA needs to come in and tear down these homes.”
Contact Shannon Keith at [email protected] and 252-329-9575.
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