Governor Roy Cooper and FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell meet with people affected by the storm and thank emergency personnel and volunteers for their continued hard work. (Pool Photo/Paul Barker)
More than 104,000 North Carolinians have registered for assistance from FEMA as of Monday, according to Gov. Roy Cooper.
FEMA has paid more than $27 million to disaster survivors who have applied for individual assistance funds as of Saturday.
The federal government has provided temporary housing and hotel rooms for thousands of affected individuals.
Western North Carolina typically brings in around $7.7 billion in visitor dollars each year. Its peak tourist season is in the fall, with travelers eager to see changing colors in the mountains.
The destruction from Hurricane Helene is hampering the tourism industry and causing economic loss.
“We still don’t want tourists coming to western North Carolina right now,” Cooper said during a press conference on Monday.
The priority remains on allowing recovery efforts and medical supplies to access the western portion of the state.
Hurricane Helene devastated communities in western North Carolina and destroyed several roads in the area. Although some parts of interstate 40 have reopened, it will take time to rebuild all of the roads in the mountains.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell encouraged people to apply for funding, which can be used for medicine, temporary housing, repairing their homes, and other purposes.
“We will be able to help them with any costs they incur,” Criswell said.
Personnel from the National Guard and soldiers headquartered at Fort Liberty are partnering with the North Carolina Department of Transit to clear roads, distribute supplies, manage air traffic, and help with search and rescue. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is assisting with evaluating water quality and wastewater in the area.
The number of people who are unaccounted for is “rapidly dwindling,” according to Cooper. This is due to more people gaining access to phones, internet, and cell service.
The governor was unable to provide an exact number of people who are still missing, but expects to have an update on Tuesday.
“We know a lot of reunifications have occurred that have not been reported back,” Cooper said.