Nine houses in Columbia that were damaged by Hurricane Matthew are to be rehabilitated or elevated through a $225,000 grant to the town that, when funds are released, will be issued to homeowners as interest-free, forgivable loans, Rhett White, town manager, told the board of aldermen Jan. 7.

The forthcoming grant is part of $236 million allocated to North Carolina for Hurricane Matthew housing recovery and known as the Rebuild NC program. Eligible homeowners may receive funds for housing repairs, homeowner reimbursement for work that has already been completed and/or funding for other housing-related issues due to damage from Hurricane Matthew that struck North Carolina Oct. 8-9, 2016.

The North Carolina Division of Emergency Management has opened a public comment period for Action Plan Amendment 3. The state is soliciting input on the proposed changes, which are intended to better define the ReBuild North Carolina program’s processes and accelerate the state’s recovery efforts.

This draft action plan, as well as previous amendments and more information, can be found on the program’s website at rebuild.nc.gov/action-plans.

The public comment period will remain open through Jan. 18. All interested parties are able to submit their comments via email to ipayne@nccommerce.com or telephone 919-814-4663.

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