After the hurricane force winds of Dorian were felt across the eastern coast of North Carolina a month ago, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has turned a blind eye to the plight of individuals affected by storm damage in four affected counties, according to an Oct.10, 2019 article posted by Carolina Coast Online.

According to the report, residents applied for assistance following the storm that damaged parts of Carteret, Dare, Hyde, and New Hanover counties. Dorian’s hurricane force winds reportedly approached Emerald Isle—a long, narrow strip of an island along the coastline running east to west, resulting in a tornado and heavy damage to an RV park in Carteret county.

More western areas of these county were largely unscathed. The northeast to southwest facing island of Ocracoke was severely hit. Flooding in the South River and Cedar island was also significant, according to reports.

As indicated by the Carolina Coast article, FEMA spokesperson Jeff Byard claimed a review was made using sources from federal, state, and local government preliminary damage assessments. Using these assessments, FEMA concluded that the hurricane force winds of Dorian didn’t present the necessary level of impact that would justify use of the federal agency’s Individual Assistance Program.

Byard’s response to North Carolina’s request for help was sent to Governor Roy Cooper. On Oct. 4, Governor Cooper received approval from President Donald Trump allowing for major disaster declaration for parts of the state. The major disaster declaration allows for federal funds to assist with the removal of storm debris and the repair of buildings under public ownership.

What is the FEMA Individual Assistance Program?

According to FEMA’s fact sheet, the Individual Assistance Program allows for twofold support following a natural disaster like Hurricane Dorian—housing assistance and other needs assistance. In terms of housing assistance, the program may offer funds to rent housing such as an apartment on a temporary basis or purchase temporary quarters when rentals are not easy to come by. This might mean the erection of a temporary structure while former housing is under repair.

Housing assistance may also provide monies to repair structures and related utilities and sanitary functions. These monies help fill in the gap where hurricane insurance has failed. It rarely would be enough financial help to return to a pre-storm state, but should be considered supplementary. Often victims of a natural disaster could also apply for repair assistance from additional sources.

The Individual Assistance Program may also provide money for other needs such as items needed to clean up a damaged home, funeral expenses, furnishings and appliances, transportation, and educational supplies such as computers, textbooks and the like.

The Nature of Hurricane Dorian

While Hurricane Dorian hit the North Carolina coast with much less ferocity than it had days before in other locations, for those impacted by its tenacity, it was and is a hurdle with which victims must contend. The first major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, Dorian first hit the Abaco islands on Sept. 1 and then moved on to Grand Bahama. It remained there with wind power measured at 185 miles per hour for 24 hours and left 70,000 people homeless.