HUD Louisville Volunteers help North Carolina Disaster Survivors

Michele Roundtree, FHEO, helping a disaster survivor at the Robeson County Fairgrounds Shelter

David Railey, FPM, working at the Joint Field Office NC Emergency Management Center

Disaster damage at Lumberton Housing Authorities Lumbee Homes

Two HUD Louisville volunteer staff members are on disaster assignment in North Carolina to aid the survivors of Hurricane Matthew. They are coordinating with other government agencies such as FEMA and SBA as well as the American Red Cross to ensure that everyone possible that is displaced by the disaster are housed, clothed, fed, and getting all of the resources available to them. Working out of the Joint Field Office (JFO) and in the field where shelters and Disaster Resource Centers (DRC) are operating these HUD volunteers are helping those displaced one family and individual at a time.

"It's humbling to see the families who have lost so much have so much hope and gratitude," said HUD Louisville Office volunteer David Railey. "It makes you realize what is really important in life and to take nothing for granted." Railey is leading the effort to help survivors in the shelters find permanent housing and receive recovery services in a timely fashion. He works for the Field Office Director in the Louisville Office supporting Presidential and Secretarial Initiatives as a Senior Management Analyst.

Michele Roundtree, Louisville's other volunteer, is working in the shelter in Lumberton helping over a dozen survivors find a place to live. "It's been life altering to see those that have lost everything that they had because of the disaster," said Roundtree. "I'm just glad to be here to do whatever I can to help." Roundtree works as a Fair Housing Equal Opportunity Specialist in the Louisville Office. Earlier this month, North Carolina state officials estimated the flooding has caused $1.5 billion in damage to 100,000 homes, business and government buildings.

President Obama issued a disaster declaration in several impacted counties in North Carolina on Oct 11, 2016 which allows HUD to offer foreclosure relief and other assistance to certain families.

"Today, our collective thoughts and prayers are with those who are now facing the painful process of recovering from this storm," said U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. "As our sister agencies assess the damage and respond to the immediate needs of our citizens, HUD will offer any assistance possible and stands ready to support the longer term housing recovery efforts." HUD is:

• Assisting the affected states and local governments in re-allocating existing federal resources toward disaster relief (https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/cdbg-dr/) - HUD's Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME programs give the State and communities the flexibility to redirect millions of dollars in annual formula funding to address critical needs, including housing and services for disaster victims. HUD is currently contacting State and local officials to explore streamlining the Department's CDBG and HOME programs in order to expedite the repair and replacement of damaged housing;
• Granting immediate foreclosure relief - HUD granted a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures and forbearance on foreclosures of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured home mortgages;
• Making mortgage insurance available - HUD's Section 203(h) Program allows the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) to insure mortgages made by qualified lenders to victims of a major disaster who have lost their homes and are in the process of rebuilding or buying another home. Individuals are eligible for this program if their homes are located in an area that was designated by the President as a disaster area and if their homes were destroyed or damaged to such an extent that reconstruction or replacement is necessary;
• Making insurance available for both mortgages and home rehabilitation - HUD's Section 203(k) loan program enables those who have lost their homes to finance the purchase or refinance of a house along with its repair through a single mortgage. It also allows homeowners who have damaged houses to finance the rehabilitation of their existing single-family home; and
• Offering Section 108 loan guarantee assistance (https://www.hudexchange.info/programs/section-108/) - HUD will offer state and local governments federally guaranteed loans for housing rehabilitation, economic development and repair of public infrastructure.
• Information on housing providers and HUD programs - The Department will share information with FEMA and the State on housing providers that may have available units in the impacted counties. This includes Public Housing Agencies and Multi-Family owners. The Department will also connect FEMA and the State to subject matter experts to provide information on HUD programs and providers.

Read about these and other HUD programs designed to assist disaster victims.

Individuals affected by Hurricane Matthew are also encouraged to register online at DisasterAssistance.gov (http://disasterassistance.gov/), download the FEMA app, or call 800-621-3362 for voice, 711, Video Relay Service, or other relay service. Survivors who are deaf, hard of hearing or who have difficulty speaking and use a TTY, should call 800-462-7585 directly.

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