The deadline for Sevier County wildfire victims to apply for FEMA aid closes at the end of business on Monday. As that deadline approaches, some wildfire victims still have not applied for help.
Pastor Susana Lopez ministers at Connexion, a predominantly Latino church in Sevierville. She said several immigrants have expressed fear at the notion of seeking federal assistance, including applying for FEMA aid.
“There are many things that separate the Hispanic community,” Lopez said. “Education levels, language barriers, documentation barriers. It’s -- ‘I don’t know if I can seek help without being at risk.’”
In the wake of that fear, she said many Latino immigrants are continuing to rely on their church communities for help.
Lopez said low-cost housing and furniture have been among the greatest needs among her congregation.
“They come in seeking help, whether for furniture, clothing, food, gift cards,” she said. “My phone goes off constantly with people wanting help.”
On Sunday, FEMA officials said the agency had approved 413 registrations for assistance out of 1,370 submitted. Nearly half of the $3.1 million FEMA funds in Sevier County was for housing assistance.
That's in addition to the $8.1 million approved by the Small Business Administration.
FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer LaiSon Yee said she had not heard of people who had feared seeking aid, but encouraged any disaster survivors to register for help.
The agency will have two on-site representatives available at the U.S. Small Business Administration’s business recovery center, which will operate through Feb. 27 at 906 East Parkway in Gatlinburg.
"I want people to understand we still have a presence here (in Gatlinburg), and that they can come in and people will speak to them on a case by case basis," Yee said.
Paul Danis is president of Live-It Ministries, a non-profit organization working with faith-based groups to coordinate resources and to build new homes for wildfire victims.
He expressed concern upon hearing the number of approved FEMA registrations, relative to the 2,400 homes and businesses that burned in the height of the fire.
“That seems low, simply because there have been so many people out there who have been renting who did lose their homes," he said.
Danis said he and other community leaders now have a clearer picture of who had lost their homes, as well as who can and cannot rebuild. On Monday, he will meet with several other non-profit organizations to coordinate recovery efforts.
“We’re entering a time now that’s exciting to see the community come together and start rebuilding," Danis said. "Not only homes, but rebuilding lives."