While some area residents affected by Hurricane Matthew have received assistance after their homes were inspected to determine what, if any, disaster assistance they were eligible for, some area residents are waiting for inspections.

One Federal Emergency Management Official said it’s difficult to determine how long FEMA inspectors will continue to make inspections in eastern North Carolina.

“It’s hard to say. People have 60 days to register from the declaration, which was Monday, Oct. 10. So, you’re talking Dec. 9. You can’t rule out there will be some late registrants for inspections,” said Nathan Custer, a FEMA public-information officer assigned to North Carolina. “It depends on the flow of incoming calls.”

As for the type of assistance being provided to homeowners, “It’s all individual assistance,” Custer said. “It’s emergency home repairs. For some people, it’s going to temporary housing. For some, it’s making their homes safe, secure and functional.”

For people facing a long-term home repair process before they can return home, the preferred temporary option is rental housing, Custer said. “Beyond that, it’s temporary housing in hotels while they are working on a long-range housing plan,” he added.

The latest figures from FEMA show there have been 373 registrations for individual assistance, with a total of $174,231.01 distributed in Beaufort County. Of that amount, $116,938.64 is for housing assistance (home repair and rental assistance) and $57,292.37 is for other needs (serious unmet needs). Housing assistance provides money for disaster-related housing needs, while other-needs assistance provides funds for other disaster-related needs such as household furnishings, transportation and medical care.

Custer addressed confusion related to FEMA inspections of inaccessible structures. Those inspectors file reports indicating they were unable to conduct inspections when they are unable to inspect a structure because it’s been made inaccessible as the result of damage related to Hurricane Matthew and subsequent flooding. When the structures, mostly houses, become accessible, applicants for federal disaster assistance need to call FEMA’s helpline (1-800-621-3362 or TTY: 1-800-462-7585) to have their inspectors return to complete inspections, according to a memorandum from John Pack, Beaufort County’s emergency-services director.

“I’m getting reports of FEMA staff out in the field telling applicants to call their inspector back to get their inspections reissued and completed. This is incorrect and needs to stop,” reads the memorandum. “This is causing the inspectors to have to spend time and risk upsetting our applicants trying to tell them they can’t do anything to get their inspection sent back out.”

Custer said: “They (registrants) just don’t understand the process. They think their inspector is the one and only point of contact. They need to go back to the 800 number to get the inspector back out there again once the water subsides. … You can guess, based on certain levels of water, what’s going to happen. You’ve still got to put eyes on it. That’s what the inspector does.”

Inspectors are given names and addresses of those who have registered for federal assistance. An inspector makes an appointment, within a matter of days after the registration occurs, to visit the property and assess the damage. The property must be the owner’s principal residence. Vacation homes, secondary homes are not covered.”

After an assessment, the inspector forwards a damage report to FEMA and a decision is made on the grant amount, if any, for emergency home repairs.