Hurricane Helene Survivors Still Stuck in Limbo as FEMA Buyouts Drag Into a Second Year

More than fourteen months after Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina, the waiting has become its own form of hardship. Families who lost homes in the storm are still stuck in the federal buyout process, unsure whether they will ever receive help — or when.

One survivor, who spoke with this reporter recently in Chimney Rock Village, described the exhaustion plainly: “We can’t wait anymore. We can’t rebuild, we can’t sell, and we can’t move on.” They did not wish to be publicly identified.

State emergency management officials Steve McGugan and Justin Graney say they hear the same desperation across every county in WNC affected by Helene. Both work closely with local governments, navigating FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), the main source of federal dollars for voluntary buyouts and long-term flood mitigation. And both acknowledge what survivors already know: the system moves far slower than the people living through it. 

HMGP is designed for long-term risk reduction — not rapid disaster relief — and every project must clear a rigid federal sequence before funds can be released. That includes environmental compliance, benefit-cost modeling for each property, duplication-of-benefits checks, historic preservation review, and verification that each project aligns with the community’s FEMA-approved hazard mitigation plan.

Those steps are required under federal law, but they also mean families displaced since September 2024 may enter a second full year without knowing whether a buyout is coming. FEMA’s national guidance acknowledges that these mandatory reviews can add months — sometimes years — to the timeline.

Graney and McGugan discussed these delays and the complexity behind them on their “Masters of Disaster” podcast. For residents trying to understand why the federal process is so slow, the full set of FEMA rules governing HMGP in North Carolina is available here.

The policy debate around Helene recovery is also shaping the 2026 election cycle. On Sept. 25, 2024, as Helene was making landfall, then-Gov. Roy Cooper drew strong reactions when he said that “some areas just shouldn’t build back” and argued that “buyouts are better” for the most flood-prone neighborhoods. Cooper is now running for the U.S. Senate and faces Democratic challenger Daryl Farrow. The winner will advance next November against whichever Republican — Don Brown, Elizabeth Temple, or Michael Whatley — wins the Republican primary election. Candidate filing goes until Dec. 19, 2025. All five candidates are being pressed to explain how they would work to shorten FEMA’s timelines and improve transparency for families who feel abandoned by the system. The seat is open following Sen. Thom Tillis' decision not to run for re-election.

Helene survivors continue to navigate the slow reality of federal procedure. Some are paying rent and mortgages at the same time. Others remain in temporary housing long after intended deadlines, while others have applied for the state's home rebuilding program, Renew NC, which has a deadline of Dec. 31, 2025, to apply.