Tropical Storm Helene Disaster Assistance - Legal Aid of North Carolina
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Renew NC aids Helene survivors with housing repairs
The Renew NC Housing Rebuild Program is now open to help survivors of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina repair or rebuild their homes. Eligible applicants can apply online, by phone (1-888-791-0207), via a mobile app, or in person at designated offices in Asheville, Boone, or Marion. The program prioritizes those in the most impacted counties and with unresolved housing damage. Applicants must provide documentation of income, residency, ownership, and storm-related damage. Applications for single-family homes are open through the end of 2025. Multi-family housing aid is not yet available.
Apply today
Legal Aid NC Helpline
Toll-Free: 1 (866) 219-LANC (5262)
9:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Monday – Friday
Apply for free help with
civil (non-criminal) legal issues
Recovery Resources
Request Crisis Cleanup assistance
844-965-1386
Crisis Cleanup assists with issues like downed trees, debris, tarps, and mucking out
Find shelters
Call the American Red Cross at
1-800-733-2767
Visit
View road conditions
View and report power outage information
Identify open pharmacies
By county:
Emergency Operating Pharmacies Helene:
Locate loved ones
Call 211 for reunification services
For Buncombe County, contact the Register of Deeds at
828-820-2761
or visit
BuncombeReady.gov
Submit the Red Cross form here:
Shelter and Supplies
Call 211
Mental Health Support
Call or text
988
for 24/7 free and confidential support
FNS Benefits
Buy Hot Food with Your EBT Card –
From
October 4 to November 3, 2024
, you can use your EBT card to buy
hot meals
at participating SNAP/FNS retailers. This is available to everyone with FNS benefits across the state.
Automatic Replacement of Benefits
If you live in one of 23 counties affected by power outages from the hurricane, you will get
70% of your September FNS benefits back
. You don’t have to do anything—this money is already on your EBT card to help replace food you lost. The counties included are: Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, and Yancey counties.
If you live in Catawba and Clay County
you have extra time to report lost food because of Hurricane Helene, you have
until October 26, 2024
to tell your local Department of Social Services (DSS).
Sign up to volunteer
Donate
www.legalaidnc.org/donate
www.nc.gov/donate
Assistance Now
Legal Aid of North Carolina can help immediately after the storm:
Provide survivors with information about their rights
Answer questions about insurance and claims
Advocate for people when they are applying for recovery fund assistance and appealing decisions
Benefits and Appeals / FEMA
Access assistance
Appeal decisions
Recoupment
Long-Term Support
Housing
Homeowners –
Assistance with insurance policies, recovery appeals, proving property ownership, avoiding foreclosure and mortgage issues, providing information on rights, and more.
Renters –
Recovery appeals, evictions, lease terminations, landlord/tenant disputes, understanding renters rights and insurance policies, providing additional legal help during disaster recovery, and more.
Assist Long-Term Recovery Groups
501(c)(3) non-profit incorporation
Provide general guidance to groups navigating the disaster relief ecosystem
Support Victims of Fraud
Resources and assistance to avoid fraud
Help fraud victims file a claim
Self-Help Resource Library
Check out the resource library on Legal Aid’s website at
legalaidnc.org/disaster
that includes 50+ videos with information on a range of disaster topics including replacing lost documents, Disaster Unemployment Assistance, property taxes, and more.
Additional Resources
Find assistance with damaged private roads and bridges
– Did you know that if you have a private road or bridge that was damaged or destroyed by Tropical Storm Helene, there may be assistance available to help you repair or rebuild? FEMA may provide some monetary assistance to you as part of the Individual and Households Program for home repair assistance. If you are having trouble with this process, Legal Aid of NC can help with FEMA appeals and in preparing necessary documentation. In addition, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety has launched the North Carolina Private Road and Bridge Program to assist property owners with damage to their property access.
Click here to learn more.
Disaster Energy Assistance Available to 25 Counties Impacted by Hurricane Helene to Help with Heating Costs and Repairs During Winter Beginning Jan. 15
– Households can apply for both LIEAP and the Disaster Energy Assistance funding. Households with heating services or systems that require repairs, are currently inoperable, have been disconnected or are at risk of having their services disconnected can also apply for the Disaster Energy Assistance funds.
Click here to learn more.
Rental Assistance
DCDL-DIR-01-2024
DIR-01-2024-attachment1
Disaster Rental Assistance Questions and Answers Document_1.8.2025
LANC Resource Library
Helene Resources ENGLISH
Helene Resources SPANISH
Learn more about the Disaster Relief Project
Learn more about FEMA
Tenant’s Rights After a Natural Disaster
Avoid Scams and Frauds
Learn more about Pet Care during a natural disaster
Learn more about Insurance Claims and Appeals
Hurricane Helene Disaster Food Assistance (D-SNAP)
Insurance Claims and Appeals
helene disaster assistance flyer v8
Tax Value Reassessment and Appeals by County v1
tenants rights evictions and repairs v9
tenants rights evictions and repairs SPANISH v1
Supporting Students After Hurricane Helene
Supporting Students After a Hurricane_SP
For Kids
Disaster Relief Coloring Book
Disaster Relief Coloring Book
Videos
Donate
Donations to our disaster response support mobile legal clinics, additional staff for dedicated disaster hotline intake, support for our pro bono program preparing cases to volunteer lawyers, and other emerging needs. Your donation can be the lifeline that helps a family rebuild. Please consider giving today:
Donate to Legal Aid NC
Pro Bono
Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Disaster Relief Project provides information, advice, and representation to disaster survivors, but the legal needs after Hurricane Helene far outweigh our resources.  We are proud to partner with the NC Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide pro bono legal services, and we need your help.
If you are an attorney, please
sign up here
to volunteer.
Need assistance?
Apply for help through our new online intake and client portal, JusticeHub, to see if you qualify!
Click Here to Apply Online