KarunaNews Story

As winter nears, volunteer organizations leading home-rebuilding efforts in Western North Carolina have been working around the clock to move survivors of last year’s Tropical Storm Helene into permanent housing. Revitalizing the housing supply in affected areas is one of the most time-consuming and expensive parts of disaster recovery. With federal dollars slowing and a state-led housing program just getting started, the government has leaned on nonprofits to pick up the slack. Matt Calabria, director of the Governor’s Recovery Office for Western North Carolina, told reporters that state leaders involved in recovery efforts recognize the value of volunteer organizations, especially when it comes to rebuilding and repairing homes. “There was widespread agreement that volunteer organizations have really played a very important role in the recovery because they can move nimbly and have done a tremendous amount of good,” Calabria said. The state legislature has so far approved $25 million worth of grants for what they call “VOADs” — volunteer organizations active in disasters. More than a year out from the storm’s devastation, the ability of these organizations to build houses quicker and cheaper than the government can has become clear.