Spring Lake family seeks disaster recovery relief after Hurricane Florence

SPRING LAKE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Months after Hurricane Florence left a devastating impact in North Carolina, many families are still in the rebuilding process.

They are working to get their homes back into shape but waiting on the money to do so.

Tina Danzy's parents are one of those families.

Her parents received a letter in the mail from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety that stated they had been denied disaster assistance from the state's STEP program after FEMA inspectors told them they were eligible for help.

"I don't understand why people who are just regular middle-class people...why we always have to suffer," said Danzy. "They have the funds and we know they have the funds because it's been stated. So what are you doing with the funds?"

DPS released a statement to ABC11:

"There definitely were cases where homes that were pre-qualified were disqualified on the second inspection. The universe of potential people who might qualify had already been determined by FEMA, they decide whose home is probably not damaged above $17,000."

When we asked for specific numbers DPS sent a statement saying a total of 4,256 households expressed interest in the STEP program, of that number 2,073 were disqualified. Officials say when possible, they are coordinating with volunteer groups to complete repairs on homes that were not repaired through the program.

According to DPS more than $1.2 billion of state and federal resources have been provided to assist North Carolina residents with housing.