After Tropical Storm Helene, more than 100 Buncombe property owners apply for buyout

ASHEVILLE – Nearly 200 Buncombe County residents have applied for assistance through a state-managed program assisting owners whose properties were damaged when Tropical Storm Helene swept through the region Sept. 27.

Dozens are hoping to have their properties purchased outright.

During the Dec. 2 Buncombe County Board of Commissioners briefing, County Manager Avril Pinder updated commissioners on the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, which provides financial assistance to property owners impacted by natural disasters.

Grants can be used to raise homes by rebuilding foundations or placing structures on piers or columns so floodwaters flow beneath them, and for building reinforcement or retrofitting so the structure can withstand natural disasters. The program also provides funding for local governments to purchase impacted properties from owners, returning the land to open green space.

When deadly floods hit Eastern Kentucky in July 2022, the state of Kentucky, in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, purchased hundreds of homes across five counties, according to the agency, which approved $84 million for the acquisitions.

In North Carolina, the program is managed by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety’s Division of Emergency Management. The state expects to receive nearly $1.5 billion in funding from FEMA for the program.

The program is voluntary, and property owners can apply and later withdraw applications.

In-person applications were accepted over three days in November at the FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at the Asheville Mall, where dozens of area property owners turned out looking for assistance.

“We listen to everybody’s story and see where we can put them. That’s our big thing,” State Hazard Mitigation Officer Steve McGugan told the Citizen Times in November. “Being on the ground like this allows us to hear it, allows our minds to work.”

As of Nov. 14, 181 people had submitted applications to the program, according to Pinder’s presentation. Forty Buncombe County residents applied for financial assistance to elevate or reinforce their homes or buildings, while another 101 applied to have their property purchased. Another 40 applications were submitted online for both forms of assistance. In total, for the county’s unincorporated areas, 166 applications were received.

During the in-person event, Ursa Rabiipour applied for assistance through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program to elevate her Fairview home.

When Helene hit, she sheltered on the upper floor of her home as the water swept off her garden, chicken coop and most of her garage, she told the Citizen Times in November.

“We’ve never, ever seen the water rise up that high,” she said. “It was one of those things. I’m sure a lot of people felt the same way. So now, after the flood, everything’s changed.”

Now, she’s waiting for her grant, which might take up to a year to receive, she told the Citizen Times Dec. 11.

She’s submitted photos to the program and was told someone would arrive in person to assess damage, though she’s uncertain if that’s occurred. Her daughter, who lives behind her, is hoping to have her property acquired after flood waters knocked the home off its foundation, Rabiipour said, but her daughter, too, is still waiting.

“It’s a slow process, but we’ll see what happens,” Rabiipour said.

More: Buncombe residents apply for grants to lift, reinforce or sell their homes post-Helene

Jacob Biba is the county watchdog reporter at the Asheville Citizen Times. Reach him at jbiba@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: After Helene, more than 100 Buncombe property owners apply for buyout

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