FEMA will be reaching out to hurricane victims still staying in hotels.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, in an email Tuesday, said those staying in hotels can expect a call about their long-term housing plan. These are people in FEMA’s Transitional Sheltering Assistance program.

The calls will be to set up an appointment for meeting with FEMA, voluntary agencies and state partners to discuss steps for moving toward permanent housing.

The program provides short-term hotel accomodations for those displaced by Hurricane Florence. The storm made landfall as a category 1 hurricane on the morning of Sept. 14 near Wrightsville Beach, about 60 miles from Elizabethtown. It dumped record rainfall on the region, swelling creeks and rivers and causing many to lose their home and belongings.

For eligible households, FEMA provides money for rental property, home repairs and other forms of housing, a news release says. This includes hotels, and short- and long-term housing options.

FEMA offers the following tips:

• Be sure the agency has up to date contact information. This can be done online at DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 800-621-3362.

• Check and reply to messages left on voicemail. FEMA may call from unfamiliar area codes.

• Be willing to schedule the earliest available appointment.

• Be able to meet with a FEMA advisor.

FEMA has provided assistance in the form of hotel stays to more than 850 households through this program. Nearly two-thirds have moved on to a more permanent solution. There are more than 300 households, or just more than 900 people, still in the Transitional Sheltering Assistance program.

Alan Wooten

Bladen Journal

Alan Wooten can be reached at 910-247-9132 or awooten@bladenjournal.com. Twitter: @alanwooten19.