Recovery Resources
Apply for FEMA Benefits
Apply for Disaster Unemployment Assistance
The deadline to apply is December 2, 2024.
Request Crisis Cleanup assistance
Crisis Cleanup assists with issues like downed trees, debris, tarps, and mucking out
Find shelters
Call the American Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767
View road conditions
View and report power outage information
Identify open pharmacies
By county: https://www.ncpharmacyfinder.com/
Emergency Operating Pharmacies Helene: https://www.ncbop.org/emergencyoperatingpharmacieshelene.html
Locate loved ones
Call 211 for reunification services
For Buncombe County, contact the Register of Deeds at 828-820-2761 or visit BuncombeReady.gov
Submit the Red Cross form here: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/disaster-relief-and-recovery-services/contact-and-locate-loved-ones/hurricane-helene-reunification.html
Shelter and Supplies
Call 211
Mental Health Support
Call or text 988 for 24/7 free and confidential support
Sign up to volunteer
Assistance Now
Legal Aid of North Carolina can help immediately after the storm:
- Provide survivors with information about their rights
- Answer questions about insurance and claims
- Advocate for people when they are applying for recovery fund assistance and appealing decisions
Benefits and Appeals / FEMA
- Access assistance
- Appeal decisions
- Recoupment
Long-Term Support
Housing
Homeowners – Assistance with insurance policies, recovery appeals, proving property ownership, avoiding foreclosure and mortgage issues, providing information on rights, and more.
Renters – Recovery appeals, evictions, lease terminations, landlord/tenant disputes, understanding renters rights and insurance policies, providing additional legal help during disaster recovery, and more.
Assist Long-Term Recovery Groups
- 501(c)(3) non-profit incorporation
- Provide general guidance to groups navigating the disaster relief ecosystem
Support Victims of Fraud
- Resources and assistance to avoid fraud
- Help fraud victims file a claim
Self-Help Resource Library
Check out the resource library on Legal Aid’s website at legalaidnc.org/disaster that includes 50+ videos with information on a range of disaster topics including replacing lost documents, Disaster Unemployment Assistance, property taxes, and more.
Call the Helpline or Apply for Aid Online
Legal Aid NC Helpline
If you wish to contact Legal Aid NC for disaster-related legal issues, call our Helpline:
Toll-Free: 1 (866) 219-LANC (5262)
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM, Monday – Friday
For all other calls, our helpline is open:
8:30 AM – 1:30 PM, Monday – Friday
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM, Monday & Thursday
Apply for free help with civil (non-criminal) legal issues. Those 60 and older should call the Senior Helpline.
Applying for FEMA Aid
FEMA has declared Individual Assistance (IA) for Hurricane Helene for 25 western NC counties and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. What does this mean for you? It means that you can apply for disaster assistance from FEMA to help offset your disaster-related expenses.
The current deadline to apply for FEMA aid is November 27, 2024. We recommend applying as soon as possible to receive prompt assistance with disaster needs.
As of 9/30/24, residents in the following 25 counties are eligible for FEMA aid:
- Alexander
- Alleghany
- Ashe
- Avery
- Buncombe
- Burke
- Caldwell
- Catawba
- Clay
- Cleveland
- Gaston
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Jackson
- Lincoln
- Macon
- Madison
- McDowell
- Mitchell
- Polk
- Rutherford
- Transylvania
- Watauga
- Wilkes
- Yancey
You can apply online at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ or by telephone at (800) 621-3362. Otherwise, you can download the FEMA weather app from Google Play Store or the Apple Store and you can apply for assistance on the app and upload receipts. Whichever method you choose, the form has a few questions that are tricky. To avoid delay, please follow the following tips:
1. One of the questions that FEMA will ask when you register is “Do You Have Emergency Needs”? This means during your evacuation or since staying at home during the disaster, do you need help with Gas, Medication, Food (meals, water, had no power and everything spoils), Shelter (you are staying with friends, family or in a hotel); Clothing; or Durable Medical Equipment (oxygen, walkers, cane, glasses, all major equipment, etc). If this is true, say “YES” to this question. That will result in your receiving Displacement / Critical Needs Assistance, which is $750.
2. When asked if your home is/was accessible, answer “NO” if there was debris, tree branches, continued flooding, loss of power, damage or destruction that prevented you from staying there after Helene. This question is asking whether you can stay at your home or apartment and will trigger the ability for you to receive assistance to pay for hotels or provide funding to use while you stay with family or friends.
3. When asked if utilities are out, say “YES” if you incurred costs due to a utility outage, even if your utilities have since been turned back on. This allows you to receive reimbursement for costs such as generator fuel or motel expenses.
4. When asked “Are you willing to relocate” say “YES” if you cannot live in your home due to damage, loss of power, etc. This question means you are willing to stay in a hotel or apartment temporarily, and triggers that funding for you. It is not asking if you are willing to move away from your home permanently.
5. If you bought or buy a generator, FEMA will reimburse you up to $629, but you must submit the receipt. If you bought a chainsaw, FEMA will reimburse you up to $219. Again, you need to provide the receipt. Save your receipts.
Disaster Unemployment Assistance
Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) benefits are available for residents of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the following counties:
- Alexander
- Alleghany
- Ashe
- Avery
- Buncombe
- Burke
- Caldwell
- Catawba
- Clay
- Cleveland
- Gaston
- Haywood
- Henderson
- Jackson
- Lincoln
- Macon
- Madison
- McDowell
- Mitchell
- Polk
- Rutherford
- Transylvania
- Watauga
- Wilkes
- Yancey
People in the above-listed counties who are unemployed as a direct result of Hurricane Helene may be eligible for unemployment benefits under the DUA program.
The deadline to apply is December 2, 2024.
DUA is a federal unemployment program that provides temporary payments for people who, as a direct result of Hurricane Helene:
- No longer have the job that provided their primary source of income.
- Are unable to reach their place of unemployment.
- Cannot work because of an injury caused by the storm.
- Were unable to begin employment or self-employment due to the storm.
- Have become the major supplier of household income due to a storm-related death of the previous major supplier of household income.
For more information, go to www.des.nc.gov/dua
LANC Resource Library
- Learn more about the Disaster Relief Project
- Learn more about FEMA
- Tenant’s Rights After a Natural Disaster
- Avoid Scams and Frauds
- Learn more about Pet Care during a natural disaster
- Learn more about Insurance Claims and Appeals
Videos
Donate
Donations to our disaster response support mobile legal clinics, additional staff for dedicated disaster hotline intake, support for our pro bono program preparing cases to volunteer lawyers, and other emerging needs. Your donation can be the lifeline that helps a family rebuild. Please consider giving today: Donate to Legal Aid NC
Pro Bono
Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Disaster Relief Project provides information, advice, and representation to disaster survivors, but the legal needs after Hurricane Helene far outweigh our resources. We are proud to partner with the NC Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide pro bono legal services, and we need your help.
If you are an attorney, please sign up here to volunteer.