FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell encouraged families still needing assistance to contact the agency
FEMA extends transitional shelter program for Helene victims as 3,500 households remain without homes
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell on the federal role in providing relief to communities devastated by wildfires in California and the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program's impact on families affected by Hurricane Helene.
Western North Carolina families left without homes after Hurricane Helene swept through the Appalachian Mountain region last year received some devastating news earlier this month — their temporary FEMA housing assistance could soon come to an end, leaving them with nowhere to turn as temperatures dip below freezing.
The agency began notifying some families checked into hotel or motel rooms that they are no longer eligible for the Transitional Sheltering Assistance Program due to one of the following reasons: an inspection indicated their home is habitable, they declined an inspection or FEMA has been unable to contact them to update their housing needs.
The deadline, initially Friday, now sits on Jan. 14. FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell says those who receive the notification who are still in need of housing are still eligible, but they need to contact the agency.
"There's a number of reasons why somebody might have received that notification," Criswell explained Sunday.
TWO HURRICANE HELENE VICTIMS, A FAMILY OF FOUR AND A VIETNAM VETERAN GIFTED CAMPERS ON CHRISTMAS DAY
Some North Carolina families fear they could lose their temporary housing after being displaced by Hurricane Helene. (Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images (left) & Win McNamee/Getty Images (right))
"What we do is we call everybody. We call them every two weeks to check in on where they're at, what their status is, and is their home able to be occupied again, but one of the biggest things is when we call them, if we don't hear from them, the only thing we can do is assume that they've been back in their home. One of the things I want to make sure, if somebody has received that notification, but they haven't talked to somebody at FEMA and their situation is still in need, they are still eligible. We just need them to get in touch with us so we can talk to them. Everybody's going to have a unique circumstance. Everybody's going to have a unique situation," she added.
"We need to work with them all individually to make sure we're getting them the right resources so they can continue to stay in a safe place until their home is either rebuilt or it's accessible."
North Carolina residents still needing assistance can contact 1-800-621-FEMA or visit a disaster recovery center to speak to someone face-to-face.
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Married couple Victoria (L) and Jeff, stay on a street with their dog with a sign reading "Need help, lost everything in the flood", after Hurricane Helene destroyed their motorhome about a month ago, in Asheville, North Carolina, on October 29, 2024. (Photo by YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)
Already strained by the crisis left in Helene's wake, FEMA must now also address the needs of families displaced by southern California wildfires, which continue to burn after creating billions of dollars worth of damage.
Criswell told Fox News' Shannon Bream that California residents needing assistance should register at disasterassistance.gov and contact their personal insurance company to see what they will cover.
"But more importantly, [what they will] not cover so they can be eligible for different programs within our system," she added.
Fox News' Audrey Conklin and Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
Taylor Penley is an associate editor with Fox News.
