Individual home and business owners in Virginia who were affected by the remnants of Hurricane Helene may soon be able to receive federal aid.
The White House declared Virginia to have sustained a major disaster on Tuesday, an upgrade from the previous emergency declaration issued in the wake of damage caused by the storm. The new declaration is meant to begin the flow of federal aid into the commonwealth.
“This is the most significant disaster in the Commonwealth since 2011, and due to the severity and magnitude of the damages, we are thankful that Virginia was able to get this expedited disaster declaration so that we can continue this long process of recovery,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin said in a statement Wednesday. “This will allow us to get resources to our impacted communities and Virginians as fast as possible. We will continue to work to add jurisdictions as additional assessments occur in impacted areas.”
The storm brought heavy winds and dumped 4 to 10 inches of rain, or more, over three days in areas along and west of the Blue Ridge. It left widespread flooding in its wake.
U.S. Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, vowed to continue to work alongside U.S. Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner, both Democrats, to continue to bring relief to Southwest Virginia.
“The impacts of Hurricane Helene on Southwest Virginia have been devastating,” he said in a statement Wednesday.
Kaine and Warner joined a bipartisan coalition of U.S. senators who on Tuesday urged Congress to return to Capitol Hill to pass disaster relief legislation. Congress is currently on recess until after the November election.
“Over the past few days, I’ve visited residents, business owners, local officials, and first responders in Southwest Virginia and seen firsthand the devastating impacts of Hurricane Helene. I’m committed to continuing to work with local, state, and federal partners to help these communities recover,” Kaine said in a statement.
Who can seek federal aid and how
Residents and business owners who sustained Helene-related losses in the counties of Giles, Grayson, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington and Wythe and the city of Galax can begin applying for individual assistance at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/, by calling 800-621-FEMA (3362) or by using the FEMA App.
Individual assistance can provide financial support and direct services for eligible individuals and households impacted by a disaster. That assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of Hurricane Helene, according to information released by the White House on Wednesday.
Federal public assistance is also available to state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work in the counties of Bedford, Bland, Buchanan, Carroll, Craig, Dickenson, Giles, Grayson, Montgomery, Pittsylvania, Pulaski, Russell, Scott, Smyth, Tazewell, Washington, Wise and Wythe and the cities of Bristol, Covington, Danville, Galax, Norton and Radford.
Public assistance can provide resources for eligible response and recovery work, which can include repairing roads and bridges, water control facilities, public buildings and equipment, and public utilities.
The maximum amount available to individuals from FEMA for housing and other needs is $43,600. On average, individuals may see less than that amount. Residents who saw significant damage or destruction may need additional support from state or local governments or donations.
The total number of homes damaged or destroyed and people displaced in Virginia was still not known as of Wednesday. A Virginia Department of Emergency Management spokesperson said the agency is still in the process of assessing damage caused by Helene. FEMA teams are also conducting assessments in the region.
According to utility data aggregator poweroutage.us, 40,184 Virginia customers remained without power at midday Wednesday, down from nearly 200,000 on Friday.
