This is a developing story.
FEMA has again extended the check-out deadline for thousands of people to stay in Western North Carolina hotels after being displaced by Hurricane Helene.
"Due to continued extreme winter weather, FEMA is extending the Transitional Sheltering Assistance hotel stays until Jan. 14," FEMA tweeted Saturday.
On Monday evening, FEMA announced that those were eligible would be allowed to stay until Jan. 25. FEMA said that families checking out on Jan. 14 are "returning to habitable homes or withdrew from FEMA assistance."
FEMA says there are more than 3,000 people who are still eligible for transitional sheltering assistance.
The additional extension comes after an initial 24-hour extension granted by the agency on Thursday.
Last week, BPR reported that an internal review of the FEMA's Transitional Sheltering Assistance program — which pays for hotel rooms for Hurricane Helene survivors — found that more than half of the families in the program are ineligible and were told they must check out by Jan. 11. Those affected (close to 3,500 families) were then given an extension to stay in the hotels until Jan. 12.
In response to a question from BPR, Gov. Josh Stein (D) said at a press conference Friday morning that FEMA had made the 24-hour extension as a result of the state's request. He also urged FEMA to grant an additional extension to Monday in order to keep people off the roads.
"What we don't want is for even people whose homes are now safe and ready for them to be reoccupied -- which is what happens at the end of the temporary shelter period -- we don't want folks on the road," Stein said. "And so, the best thing for everyone is for FEMA to continue to extend for a couple more days."
Earlier this month, FEMA began notifying families that they are no longer eligible for the hotel program.
FEMA says the reasons a person might be ineligible for ongoing hotel assistance include:
- Their home is considered habitable.
- They declined an inspection of their residence to verify it was damaged.
- FEMA has been unable to contact the applicant to update their housing needs, despite multiple attempts.
People who received an ineligibility notification and still need housing assistance should immediately call the helpline at 1-800-621-3362.
FEMA said representatives have tried to contact people as many as eight times before labeling them ineligible.
According to FEMA, the next eligibility review for ongoing hotel vouchers is scheduled for Jan. 17. Households that are found ineligible will be notified then that they will need to check out by Jan. 25, 2025.
BPR's Felicia Sonmez contributed reporting to this story.
