Roughly 50 feet was what kept Chad from the more than $24,000 he should have received from FEMA after losing his mobile home during Helene.
Living that close to the county line created address discrepancies, which combined with his name missing from the title, caused FEMA to deny his claim. Chad was left without a home and his family with mounting frustration and no idea what to do next.
“We had no help,” said Heidi, Chad’s sister-in-law who assisted him through the process due to his disability.
The home held a lifetime of memories for Chad. It had been his grandparents, and he grew up just a few miles down the road. In 1996, he moved in with his grandmother who later left him the home through a life estate deed which allows him to live on the property for his lifetime.
When Helene hit, the property became a lake, water covered the bridge leading into the area, and Chad’s home filled with eight feet of water.
“That day was very sad,” said Chad.
Months passed with no help and the family’s frustration grew until they were put in touch with Pisgah Legal Services Attorney Nick Bondurant. He researched GIS maps and pulled old deed records to explain address issues. Although Chad was voting and living in Madison County, the physical address was technically listed as Buncombe. Nick was able to show how even though the deed did not have the street name (which did not exist when the deed was originally recorded), Chad’s address was the same parcel as the deed. With his detective work, Nick pulled together everything needed to file an appeal.
“I didn’t know how appeals work,” said Heidi. “I didn’t know how to word all that. Nick did.”
Having an advocate who understood the system made all the difference. Chad doesn’t think he would have ever received the $24,000 from FEMA without Nick’s help. Not only that, but Nick made it as easy for them as possible.
“We didn’t have to do nothing – just sign some papers and we were out of there,” said Chad.
It’s not enough for a new home but the money gives Chad a little bit of hope of eventually being able to replace the donated camper that he’s currently living in with another mobile home to call his own.