County businesses, families receive outpouring of post-flood aid

Flood-affected Orange County businesses and homeowners are getting a helping hand from the government.

In an effort to help with flood damage from last month’s torrential rains, Gov. Pat McCrory announced July 17 that the U.S. Small Business Administration will provide federal financial assistance to county families and businesses affected by the flooding.

A Disaster Loan Outreach Center has been set up in University Mall and will remain open until Thursday at 6 p.m.

“While I’m inspired by the resilience of those who have been impacted, we want to make all resources available for recovery efforts,” McCrory said in a statement. “We requested this assistance to get the people and businesses of Chapel Hill, Carrboro and surrounding areas back on their feet.”

According to the release, homeowners can receive loans as large as $200,000 to fix or compensate for structural damage. Loans of up to $40,000 are also available to homeowners and renters to replace damaged personal property. Businesses and nonprofits can apply for loans of up to $2 million or receive a working capital loan.

Though residents of Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham and Person counties do not directly qualify for the assistance, people in those counties may fit the criteria for a state grant.

Chapel Hill Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt said he is grateful for the funding and hopes residents and businesses can access it quickly and easily.

“It can’t be measured in dollars alone — the destruction, the pain, the challenges of building after they’ve been hit by that kind of crisis,” Kleinschmidt said. “When it comes to funding and supporting people who have been displaced, it’s about doing what we can to ease that pain and compensate for the destruction of people’s lives.”

Stan Morris, executive director of the central North Carolina chapter of the American Red Cross, said his organization is working to help people with damaged or destroyed homes. He said the Red Cross is ensuring that people have housing, clothing, medical aid and counseling, if needed.

“Mainly we’re doing case work,” Morris said. “We’re trying to broker resources for families and pair them with partners of ours that could donate things.”

Those partners include The Green Chair Project, a nonprofit in Wake County that accepts donated furniture and resells it to people in need at a low cost.

Morris said the Red Cross is now in the recovery stage.

“Red Cross’ mission is to make a huge difference at the time of the event,” he said. “We’re moving into recovery, which is more case management and working with partners to find the right resources to develop (residents’) lives.”