Hundreds of families left stranded as policies to help hurricane victims remain in limbo: 'It's like being in jail'

In North Carolina, thousands of families have waited years as a state program intended to help them rebuild their homes after devastating hurricanes has remained mired in delays, according to ProPublica. 

"It's like being in jail," said Willa Mae James, a retiree whose home was severely damaged by Hurricane Florence in 2018. James spent 459 days living at a motel while she waited for promised work to be performed under the state program. "Everybody else done moved back home in their houses, enjoying it, except me," she said.

What's happening?

In recent years, the Tarheel State has been struck by a number of powerful hurricanes, causing thousands of families to lose their homes. After Hurricane Florence, more than 10,000 families applied for rebuilding assistance. Five years later, more than 3,000 of those families were still waiting, ProPublica reported. 

After Hurricane Helene in 2024, 5,000 families applied for assistance with repairs and rebuilding.

Despite promises to learn from past mistakes, the Hurricane Helene program has appeared to suffer from many of the same flaws as prior programs. According to ProPublica, Hurricane Helene aid has been completed on only 16 of 2,700 houses. 

Why is it important?

As temperatures continue to rise, experts have predicted more severe weather-related disasters such as the hurricanes that have hit North Carolina. Efficient, quickly-moving aid programs are essential to helping affected people rebuild and recover. 

At the federal level, the Trump administration has made sweeping changes at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. These moves caused so much concern within the organization that workers wrote an open letter to warn that Americans would be less safe. 

With the federal government becoming less involved in emergency responses, more of the responsibility will fall to state and local governments, which often lack the necessary resources and expertise.

What's being done about it?

Officials are working to get the rebuilding assistance programs back on track, making policy changes and taking actions such as exploring cheaper temporary housing options. 

While there is a long way to go to get displaced North Carolinians back in their homes, the first step to fixing the problem is acknowledging that it exists.

"The response from North Carolina to hurricanes Matthew and Florence was a disaster," state auditor Dave Boliek said, according to ProPublica.

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