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FEMA to start working with homeowners in flood zones on buyouts of destroyed homes, or elevation of homes that were partly underwater

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avlwatchdog.org – JOHN BOYLE – 2024-11-09 10:39:00

Local homeowners who lost their homes or sustained serious damage in Helene’s floodwaters can begin applying next week to a federal program that may buy the home outright, or pay to have it elevated or rebuilt at a higher level.

Steve McGugan, the state of North Carolina’s Hazard Mitigations section chief, explained at the Buncombe County Tropical Storm Helene briefing Friday how the FEMA program works. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides the funding for the program, called the Hazard Mitigation Program, which the state administers.

Residents can apply for the program starting Tuesday at the FEMA location at Asheville Mall in the former Gap store location, across from Bath & Body Works. Staff will be on location from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, Nov. 12-15.

“We will have a team there that will be able to answer questions, help assist you in filling out a paper application form where we get all your information,” McGugan said. “We’ll also go ahead and check your tax card to make sure we have all the proper names that need to be on the application, and signatures that we will need. We will also verify where you are located within the flood zone.”

FEMA provides funding to the state, which then flows to the community.

// Credit: North Carolina Department of Pubic Safety, Division of Emergency Management

In Buncombe, 900 homes had substantial damage from Helene, with about 300, including 75 commercial properties, totally lost, according to Buncombe County.

Three types of assistance

The program offers three types of assistance:

Acquisition: “If your property has been severely damaged and you are located in a flood hazard area and wish to relocate from that flood hazard area, you can sign up for the acquisition program,” McGugan said. “In the acquisition program, your home would be bought just as if you were selling it to another homeowner, and moving away.”

The property would be appraised based on its value the day before the storm struck, in part based on the tax valuation. That gives a base value to work from, and appraisers will also use a “multiplier” provided by the county for homes whose valuations likely have increased, he noted. Additionally, they look at comparable homes that sold before the storm hit to arrive at the appraised amount.

Upon the home’s closing, “our closing official or a closing company would basically pay off your loan, if you have a loan on the house remaining, and then the proceeds would then be handed over to you, just like a normal acquisition process,” McGugan said.

“Once that’s completed, that property would then be deeded over to the county, and the county would retain that property,” McGugan continued. “And that property would not be available to be reoccupied or be reused for housing, but in the future the county can use those properties for such things as parks, greenways, other things in their future plan that benefit the community, as well as assist in being able to prevent future flood damages from occurring.”

Raising the home: Called “Elevations,” this program is basically what it sounds like: lifting the home, typically by 2 feet, to raise it out of the flood zone.

“An elevation project is done when your home may have had a little bit of water on the first floor — one or two feet,” McGugan said. 

He showed a home before and after — on a lower brick foundation when it flooded, and then raised to a higher concrete block foundation. 

“You would move out of the home — and when I say move out, we will provide you temporary lodging while the construction process takes place,” McGugan said. “You don’t have to move any household goods out, because we pick the house up as is.”

The program can accommodate homes with Americans with Disabilities Act provisions. 

Mitigation reconstruction: “Mitigation reconstruction is done when first you requested an elevation, and we came in and determined that your home may be more damaged than was thought, and we cannot safely lift it and elevate it to the new height,” McGugan said.

“The old house would be torn down, a new foundation built that, again, is at an elevated level, and then a new home is built in place of the old home,” McGugan said, noting that these are not custom homes but contractor grade. 

The state would “move your furniture back in, set it back up, and you would move back in again,” McGugan said.

What about the cost?

McGugan stressed that there is no cost to homeowners for these programs. For example, on acquisition, FEMA pays 75 percent of the cost to acquire and demolish the property and restore the property to green space. The state pays the other 25 percent.

“There is no cost to the homeowner for this program,” McGugan said. 

Are most applications accepted?

McGugan said that a very high percentage of applications are accepted. He noted that since Hurricane Florence struck North Carolina in 2018, “if a homeowner has applied and stayed with us and did not walk away from the program, we have been able to complete their home.”

The program is voluntary, and homeowners can walk away at any point, he said, but the success rate in getting applications approved is very high.

“I will tell you that at this point, I have never not been able to get a home approved,” McGugan said. “There are many rules that go with this program and many ways that we can work together in the application to always meet a benefit-cost ratio of one, which is requirement for FEMA to approve it — that we show that the benefit-cost ratio of doing an acquisition or an elevation or a mitigation reconstruction is one.”

The state has “a lot of tools” to reach that level.

“So I have not had any denied based upon the value of a home,” McGugan said. “Really, the only thing that prevents a home from being approved is if there are issues with the title — we can’t get a clear title.”


Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. John Boyle has been covering Asheville and surrounding communities since the 20th century. You can reach him at (828) 337-0941, or via email at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s local reporting during this crisis is made possible by donations from the community.  To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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Buncombe air quality post-Helene has not been affected greatly by dust, but smoke risk rises, agency says • Asheville Watchdog

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avlwatchdog.org – ANDREW R. JONES and VICTORIA A. IFATUSIN – 2024-11-13 10:45:00

Six weeks after Tropical Storm Helene, sludge from roiling floodwaters has turned into sunbaked dust, brought on by an extended warm, dry spell and repair crews trying to make Asheville and surrounding areas whole again.

Overall particulate levels have not been unhealthy, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s daily index, but the Asheville Buncombe Air Quality Agency recommends wearing an N95 mask if you’re working in dusty conditions, removing storm debris or cleaning up damage in an enclosed area.

More worrisome to air quality experts is smoke pollution from open burning of storm debris.

“What we’re particularly concerned about is the fine particles from open burning that we expect we’re going to see more of,” AB Air Quality Agency Director Ashley Featherstone said.

Tons of debris are being hauled off for processing, but some of it is being burned. Though open burning is illegal inside Asheville city limits and in other municipalities, burning in unincorporated areas is allowed through permitting.

The Air Quality board prefers that there would be no burning anywhere.

“What we’re telling folks is, please don’t burn,” Featherstone said. “Please put your material out on the curb and let the removal contractors come and pick it up. Can you imagine if everybody started burning the stuff in their yard? It would be terrible.”

From Oct. 3 to Nov. 11, there were nine days when the EPA’s measurement of air-borne particulates – known as the Air Quality Index or AQI – has climbed into the moderate range, meaning that while acceptable, the air could pose a risk for some people, especially those who have respiratory conditions or who are unusually sensitive to air pollution. On all other days, the measurement has been considered good.

But there’s a caveat: Buncombe doesn’t have sensors that show what exactly is in those particles and it has only one particulate measurement station, along with one ozone monitor. Only about 1,000 of the roughly 3,000 counties in the United States have monitoring data, according to the EPA.

There have only been nine “yellow” air quality days in Buncombe County since Oct. 3, according to Environmental Protection Agency data. // Data source: Environmental Protection Agency; Watchdog graphic by Victoria A. Ifatusin

“AB Air Quality is aware that there is dust in the air from the flood waters that have receded and are also concerned about particles in the air from open burning of storm debris,” according to a statement from the AB Air Quality Agency. “Dust can contain fine particulate, but also contains particulate matter that is larger than what these monitors measure. Those larger particles are considered less dangerous to human health but can still cause irritation to lungs and upper respiratory systems.”

The AQI is a color-coded system that measures parts per million (ppm) of particulate matter. The higher the AQI value, the greater the level of air pollution and health concern, according to the AQI website.

The system is coded as follows:

  • Green (Good) – 0 to 50 ppm
  • Yellow (Moderate) – 51 to 100 ppm
  • Orange (Unhealthy for sensitive groups) – 101 to 150 ppm
  • Red (Unhealthy) – 151 to 200 ppm
  • Purple (Very unhealthy) – 201 to 300 ppm
  • Brown (Hazardous) – 301 and more ppm

“I haven’t sifted through the long-term data, but I can tell when I check the [air quality sensor] map that particulate matter around the city is a little bit higher than it usually is,” said Evan Cuozo, an atmospheric and environmental scientist by training, a professor at the University of North Carolina Asheville and a member of the AB Air Quality board. “It’s not surprising. There’s a lot of dust in the air. Nothing to be concerned about for long-term health.”

“I haven’t sifted through the long-term data, but I can tell when I check the [air quality sensor] map that particulate matter around the city is a little bit higher than it usually is,” said Evan Cuozo, an atmospheric and environmental scientist by training, a professor at the University of North Carolina Asheville and a member of the AB Air Quality board. // Credit: UNCA

Buncombe doesn’t have sensors that show what exactly is in those particles, according to Cuozo and the AB Air Quality Agency. 

“Certainly we’re breathing in slightly more petrochemicals, pesticides, fuels, solvents, etc.,” Cuozo said. But there aren’t ways to measure how much right now. 

So, is the air safe to breathe, even on yellow-level days?

“I never like to breathe in a lot of dust, so I always try to wear a mask or avoid visible plumes of dust,” Cuozo said. “But I think for acute exposures, short-term exposures, I don’t have any long-term concerns for my health based on this. I think we’re exposed to so many synthetic compounds and plasticizers in our diets and just touching things that I’m not worried about the additional burden in the air right now.”

Tracking smoke

What Cuozo and the AB Air Quality Agency are most concerned about is smoke from open burning of storm debris.

And the risk of wildfires during this dry season is growing, posing perhaps the greatest threat to air quality in the region.

Tree destruction after the storm’s 80-100 mph wind gusts will have long-lasting impacts to the fire environment, the North Carolina Forest Service said in a Nov. 3 warning.

“The potential for increased wildfire activity, especially in WNC, is above normal in November,” the Forest Services said. “In the aftermath of #HeleneNC, the amount of fuel on the ground is excessive.”

The Asheville-Buncombe Air Quality Agency’s sensor station, located at the Buncombe County Schools Board of Education, measures particulates and is the only such station in the county. // Watchdog photo by Victoria A. Ifatusin

Since burning is inevitable, the EPA sent the AB Air Quality Agency several PurpleAir monitors, small portable devices that measure air quality. Five of these were scheduled to be added to Buncombe County in the coming weeks, and some are already running.

“We have four new PurpleAirs installed and showing up on the Air Now Fire and Smoke map at Leicester Library, South Buncombe Library, Biltmore (Hi-Wire) and Board of Education,” Featherstone said Nov. 12.

Having more PurpleAir sensors will allow the agency and the EPA to know whether burning is seriously hurting air quality in areas outside of Asheville and suburban communities.

A PurpleAir sensor is located at Buncombe County Schools. It’s one of several going online, an expansion meant to keep a more thorough record of air quality throughout the county in the wake of Helene. // Watchdog photo by Victoria A. Ifatusin

Anyone can buy a PurpleAir sensor for a little less than $300 and allow EPA to track the data it collects.

PurpleAir sensor data is published live on the brand’s website. EPA also uses PurpleAir sensors in tabulating its own data.

The AB Air Quality Agency has only one fine particulate monitor, which is located at the Buncombe County Schools Board of Education in the Emma community. 

“The Air Quality Index is meant to give an indication of air quality conditions for a general area and does not give specific information on a smaller scale and may not be representative of the air quality in Swannanoa or Fairview for example,” the agency said in an Oct. 22 statement.

Even though AB Air Quality Agency has been tracking and publishing data for many years, Helene has brought it into a new phase where understanding rapidly changing air quality will be vital to understanding how the area is getting rid of its debris.

The effort could last for at least a year, the agency said.

“We’ve heard that the sensors are going to be here for a year,” Featherstone said.


Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Andrew R. Jones is a Watchdog investigative reporter. Email arjones@avlwatchdog.org. Investigative reporter Victoria A. Ifatusin joined us through a fellowship as part of the Scripps Howard Fund’s Roy W. Howard Fellowship program. You can reach her via email at vifatusin@avlwatchdog.org. The Watchdog’s local reporting during this crisis is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.

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FEMA skipping homes in disaster areas lures calls for federal probe | North Carolina

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – 2024-11-12 16:25:00

SUMMARY: Two North Carolina congressmen, Richard Hudson and Dan Bishop, are calling for investigations into claims that FEMA workers avoided certain homes based on political signs after Hurricane Helene. Marn’i Washington, a former FEMA crew leader, alleges that workers disregarded homes with signs for Trump, Biden, or Harris, citing “community trends” as a reason for avoidance. Washington, fired from her job with FEMA, denies acting for political motives and insists these actions were part of a broader pattern in the Carolinas and Florida. Hudson and Bishop are pushing for accountability, with federal probes and public hearings anticipated.

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BlueCross BlueShield asked to reimburse $2M to state taxpayers | North Carolina

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www.thecentersquare.com – By David Beasley | The Center Square contributor – 2024-11-12 14:28:00

SUMMARY: North Carolina Treasurer Dale Folwell is demanding BlueCross BlueShield reimburse the state $2 million in legal fees incurred while defending a lawsuit filed by the company. BlueCross sued after the North Carolina State Health Plan chose Aetna to manage its employee health plan. A court ruled in favor of the state, but legal fees exceeded $2 million. Folwell has requested reimbursement within 30 days, warning that he will consult state lawyers for further action if BlueCross does not comply. Folwell, who is leaving office in January, said BlueCross has been unpredictable since losing the contract.

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