North Carolina
North Carolina program takes years to fix homes, wastes tax money, according to hurricane victims
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — Seven years after Hurricane Matthew destroyed North Carolina homes, homeowners who were promised help say the state continues to fail them.
Troubleshooter Diane Wilson has been investigating the problems with the state-run program ReBuild NC for years, despite the state making progress, Wilson continues to hear from homeowners fed up waiting for their completed home.
Fayetteville homeowner, Susan Darnell is one of those frustrated people.
“Wasted taxpayer’s money, and that’s exactly what it is. There’s no sense of what ReBuild is doing.” Darnell said the waiting game has taken a toll on her. “It’s taken a toll on my health and made my health decline because I’ve had to worry and be frustrated by my house for seven years. Paying a mortgage on a house you can’t live in.”
When Hurricane Matthew damaged her Fayetteville home, she applied and was accepted into the state program called ReBuild NC. In 2021, ReBuild moved her out of her home so work could start. For more than two years, she stayed in a hotel — the total cost of her stay ended up being more than $46,000.
In July of this year, ReBuild sent her a letter that stated that if work was done, she could move back home. She got the keys to her home and tried to move back in, but she said, “The work is not completed to what it needs to be. It’s half done and they’re just putting a patch on everything and letting it go.”
SEE ALSO | ‘I’ve never seen inside my house.’ Hurricane survivors in state run program still waiting for home
Her contract with ReBuild states they would do $55,000 worth of work.
Darnell is not alone in waiting for work to be completed. A ReBuild NC homeowner in Kinston reached out beyond frustrated after staying in a hotel for more than three years while he waits for contractors with ReBuild to finish his home.
A Hoke County homeowner also reached out waiting for work to start on her hurricane-damaged home. She refused to go to a hotel until ReBuild actually starts doing work.
When it comes to ReBuild NC, during our years of investigations we have shown you the progress made on several projects we brought to their attention. In 2022, ReBuild was completing an average of five homes in a month; now leaders tell us they complete about 50 homes each month.
However, for the thousands of homeowners still waiting for homes they can safely live in, they’re skeptical ReBuild will ever complete work that makes this wait worth it.
SEE ALSO | ‘It is so hard’: State program continues to leave hurricane victims out of their homes
“If I would have known what I knew seven years ago, I would have never entered the program to go through seven years of suffering and pain,” Darnell said.
When it comes to Darnell’s case, ReBuild said rehabilitation projects can be complex and this particular project has undergone six change orders. ReBuild expects the project to be completed in the next week.
As for the home in Kinston, ReBuild said it hopes to have the home completed by the end of the year. When it comes to the home in Hoke County, ReBuild says the homeowner is in contract and bid work stage and construction is expected to be completed within 115 calendar days.
Homeowner Recovery Program data as of Oct. 11, 2023:
- 2,759 applicants in Step 1 (intake) through Step 6 (contract and bid work)
- 1,466 families moved back into safer, more resilient homes.
- 375 projects currently in the construction phase, including 334 homes with work already underway.
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. (AP) — The reopening of a section of Interstate 40 in western North Carolina that collapsed during Hurricane Helene’s historic flooding has been delayed after more asphalt from eastbound lanes fell this week, the state Department of Transportation said on Friday.
The primary road connection between North Carolina and eastern Tennessee was severed in late September as flooding in the Pigeon River gorge washed away over 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) of I-40’s eastbound lanes.
Transportation crews and contractors had focused initially on reopening the westbound lanes in Haywood County to two-way traffic during the first week of January. Now the new damage will keep it closed until engineers determine the area is safe enough for drivers in such a narrow pattern in the gorge, according to a state DOT news release.
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“It is an unfortunate situation,” division engineer Wanda Payne said. “It’s a new hurdle that we have to overcome in order to provide a safe facility for the travelling public.”
The department attributes the new slide to wet weather and freeze-thaw conditions. Contractors have been working to stabilize one lane in each direction from Harmon Den to the Tennessee line, or about 7 miles (11.3 kilometers).
“We would like to open the corridor as soon as it is safe to do so,” Payne said. “We know it is a critical route for folks who live here, visit here and travel through here.”
Hurricane Helene and its resulting destruction damaged roads and bridges in more than 6,900 sites, according to a state government damage and needs assessment report. The department, its contractors and partners have reopened more than 1,200 roads that were closed.
HAYWOOD COUNTY, N.C. (FOX Carolina) – The North Carolina Department of Transportation said new damage will delay the reopening of Interstate 40. The interstate was heavily damaged during Hurricane Helene.
A large chunk of asphalt fell away in an eastbound lane of I-40 near the Pigeon River Gorge. Officials said wet and freezing weather contributed to the slide.
Crews initially hoped to reopen the interstate during the first week of January, but it will remain closed until it is deemed safe.
“It is an unfortunate situation,” NCDOT Division 14 Engineer Wanda Payne said. “It’s a new hurdle that we have to overcome in order to provide a safe facility for the traveling public.”
Engineers are working to stabilize the damage with additional soil nails.
Drivers are reminded about the designated detours in place to drive.
Copyright 2024 WHNS. All rights reserved.
The Arkansas Razorbacks (9-2, 0-0 SEC) have just two non-conference matchups left before they start SEC play, and they can’t look past the North Carolina A&T Aggies (3-9, 0-1 CAA), who will visit Bud Walton Arena on Saturday.
Arkansas’ penultimate non-conference matchup looks like an easy game on paper, but another wire-to-wire win would help the Razorbacks in the metrics and analytics. Right now, the Hogs sit at No. 40 in KenPom and No. 48 in the NET rankings.
The Aggies are led by second-year head coach Monte Ross. He was an assistant at Temple for four years and spent 10 years as the head coach at Delaware prior to that. Last season, NC A&T finished 7-25 and 5-13 in the Coastal Athletic Association.
This season, it hasn’t gone much better. The Aggies are at 3-9 with wins over Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, The Citadel and Morgan State University. They’ve lost seven games in a row, with the most recent game a 73-68 loss to Coastal Carolina.
There are several interesting ties between the Aggies and the Razorbacks in Saturday’s matchup. NC A&T junior guard Jordan Martin is the son of Arkansas assistant coach Chuck Martin. North Carolina A&T’s leading scorer, Landon Glasper, is a Fayetteville native and was at Fayetteville High School while Arkansas staff member Ronnie Brewer was on staff.
The Aggies’ second-leading scorer, Ryan Forrest, is also an Arkansas native and hails from Marion. He and Glasper played AAU ball for Brewer while in high school.
Here’s HawgBeat’s preview of what you need to know about the North Carolina A&T Aggies ahead of Saturday’s contest, including analytics, players to watch for and more…
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