$30.5 million disbursed to support recovery in Virginia

On By Pranco

Six weeks after Hurricane Helene-induced weather devastated Southwest Virginia, $30.5 million has been disbursed so far to rebuild homes and infrastructure and provide other assistance to help residents recover.

That number includes $20 million for localities to repair public infrastructure and $10.5 million for residents to repair homes and properties, Gov. Glenn Youngkin told a room of emergency response personnel and reporters Thursday.

“People are getting support, the process is working and I encourage people to please get involved,” he said. “We still have a lot of work to do; There are still many people who need support.”

The governor also noted that Virginia has been approved for two flood and hazard mitigation grants totaling $59 million in an effort to protect the Commonwealth from similar disasters in the future.

Residents of 17 localities can apply for individual assistance until December 2: Bedford, Bland, Carroll, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe counties and the cities of Galax and Radford .

How many people have applied for help?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has received 10,000 requests for individual assistance from Virginia so far. Of those, 2,700 have been ordered for home inspections, of which Timothy Pheil, the federal coordinating officer for FEMA in Virginia, estimated they were about 93% complete as of Thursday. About 7,000 other applicants sought help for something other than home repairs.

Some who applied for assistance may have received denial letters, but Pheil said residents should view these as an invitation to come back to one of the eight disaster recovery centers still open in the region.

“The most common problem with rejection letters is, ‘We can’t contact you,’” Youngkin said. “Sometimes they just need more information.”

People with and without home insurance may qualify for the program.

The amount of time it takes for residents to receive assistance can vary, but Pheil noted that the first payment for individual assistance arrived in a resident’s bank account on Oct. 4, three days after Virginia’s Oct. 1 disaster declaration. Normally the process can take 10 to 15 days, he said.

Total damage costs still unknown, but coming

A total dollar amount for the damage sustained in Virginia was not available Thursday, but Youngkin said he expects it to be communicated to the Biden-Harris administration and Congress next week. Then the ball is in Congress’s court to fund the agencies that provide the aid.

It may be difficult to leave this to Congress. Earlier Thursday, for example, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., blocked a bipartisan bill that would have allowed the federal government Small Business Administration to continue disbursing disaster aid to businesses. That lack of funding has led to a delay in approving new applications for those seeking help from the agency.

“While I am deeply disappointed that my colleagues have prevented us from doing our duty and reauthorizing this vital funding for small businesses devastated by Helene, I am as committed as ever to fighting for affected communities across the South West -Virginia,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said on the U.S. Senate floor Thursday. “If we don’t get this done quickly, communities across Southwest Virginia will experience permanent closures of businesses and an even longer road to recovery.”

A spokesperson for Warner said the senator, along with Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is expected to resubmit the bill for consideration soon.

Youngkin said his office has discussed the possibility of state aid with the General Assembly, but first they must determine how much aid the federal government will provide.

“I’m optimistic that the federal government and the federal government support will be extensive and then the state will step back and see what we need to do,” he said. “We will have to wait and see what the federal government will ultimately fund.”