NC Emergency Management and Buncombe County Host Kick-Off Meeting for Awarded Properties Seeking Hazard Mitigation Acquisition

Tonight, officials from North Carolina Emergency Management (NCEM) and Buncombe County Government hosted a kick-off meeting for owners of the 47 Buncombe properties that were recently approved by FEMA to begin the hazard mitigation grant program acquisition process. At the meeting, property owners were provided with information about the next steps in the acquisition process, met their NCEM project manager, and were introduced to the contracted vendor who will facilitate their acquisition project.

"Recovery is a long process requiring partnerships to serve our community members, and we are appreciative of the collaboration with NCEM to reach this milestone for the property owners in this program," said Buncombe County Helene Recovery Officer Kevin Madsen. "While there are still a number of steps to go before closure, this is progress for those who lost so much 18 months ago."

The next steps in the acquisition process are:

• The approved properties will be surveyed.

• A real estate appraisal is conducted to establish the value of the property, taking into account the pre-storm value.

• The property owner is provided with an offer for purchase. Once the offer is accepted, the acquisition moves to closing.

• After closing, the state's contractors will return the property to open space and manages the eventual return of the property to the local government having jurisdiction. These properties will remain green space in perpetuity.

"NCEM is proud to partner with Buncombe County, and we are excited to move forward with the acquisition process for these property owners," said NCEM Director Will Ray. "Our team has been prepared for over a year to move forward expeditiously, with a focus on removing unnecessary delays to benefit each property owner."