A month later, Helene’s survivors remain scattered “across the state.”

It’s been more than a month since Helene caused catastrophic damage in western North Carolina. The Buncombe County manager called it her area’s Hurricane Katrina.

FEMA has set up a base in the mountains, but FEMA workers are also in the Triangle to help with recovery efforts.

WUNC’s Will Michaels spoke with FEMA spokesperson Darrell Habisch about how the agency is helping from the American Tobacco Historic District in Durham.

Helene is compared to Hurricane Katrina. Is that an apt comparison?

“You know, it’s really not a good idea to compare disasters. What I’ve found is that if this happens to you, it’s the biggest disaster ever. There’s nothing worse if your kids lose their home one day they have a nice, warm bed, but not anymore the next day.

“We currently have more than 2,800 households in hotels around North Carolina, and that represents more than 6,000 people who have been displaced and are working to rebuild their lives.”

How many displaced people are there in this area, in the Triangle?

“We don’t tell it like that. I couldn’t really tell you because you know, when people move, they live with their mothers, their fathers, their children, so they’re all over the state right now.”

In that regard, is FEMA building temporary trailers, for example, as they have done in other disasters?

“You know, those are all on the table, these shelters, they could be mobile homes, they could be trailers, they could be hotels, they could be multi-family rentals. We are currently providing housing, but what is a more permanent solution while people are on the road to recovery? That’s the discussion going on right now.

A slew of false claims have been made about FEMA’s response, including that the agency was blocking aid to western North Carolina, seizing land at Lake Lure in Chimney Rock, or conversely, doing nothing at all . How have these claims influenced the response itself?

“Well, it affects the survivors. It affects mom and dad, who may now be unsure about signing up for the help they may be entitled to.

“That’s where the problem comes in when people start talking about spreading rumors that FEMA is seizing goods. How foolish is that? What? Why would we do that? I mean, it doesn’t make any sense. We are the ones who do that. When you manage the delivery of all these programs and all these supplies to the areas, you might see the military delivering supplies there, and in this case that is the case. You may see a lot of that collaboration come through FEMA.”

I wanted to ask about financing, if I could. The main question I want to ask is: Does FEMA have what it needs to continue recovery efforts in North Carolina?

“Yes. That’s the short answer, yes. It’s the Disaster Recovery Fund. When you apply for help, you’re not taking money from your neighbor. Again, this is hearsay. “Well, you know, Bob there, it’s even worse , so I’m not going to apply for help, because they need the money.’ Well, that’s not how it works.

“This is your tax money. It’s there for you, so you can get back on the road to recovery. Are we an insurance company now? No. Are we going to replace your home? No, but if your home just needs: let’s say small repairs, or certain repairs to make it livable, safe and functional again, we may be able to help you with that.’