burnsville

Our hearts are devastated at the destruction caused throughout Western North Carolina by Hurricane Helene. As of Sunday, October 13, all eight of our clinics have reopened and are seeing patients. A master list of resources including where to find food, water and gas, shelter options, missing persons request forms, relief organizations, and how to donate and/or volunteer can be found here: bit.ly/47LPFzj.

Please consider donating to Mercy Urgent Care’s Hurricane Helene Relief Fund.

Clinic Hours

All eight Mercy Urgent Care clinics are now open and seeing patients. Hours are as follows:

• Mercy Urgent Care Brevard at 22 Trust Ln, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Saturday, closed on Sundays
• Mercy Urgent Care Burnsville at 41 Charlie Brown Rd., 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Sunday
• Mercy Urgent Care East Asheville at 1272 Tunnel Rd., 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Sunday
• Mercy Urgent Care Foothills at 140 West Mills St., 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Sunday
• Mercy Urgent Care South Asheville at 1833 Hendersonville Rd., 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Sunday
• Mercy Urgent Care West Asheville at 1201 Patton Ave., Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• Mercy Urgent Care Weaverville at 61 Weaver Blvd., Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday 8 a.m. – 7:30 p.m.
• Mercy Urgent Care Waynesville at 124 Frazier St., 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. seven days a week

Hours will continue to adjust as our resources increase. Find up-to-date hours at mercyurgentcare.org/locations.

Mercy Urgent Care’s occupational medicine services are now up and running with some limitations. Learn more.

Mental health resources

BetterHelp, an online therapy platform, is offering three months of free counseling to those impacted by Hurricane Helene. Victims can redeem the free counseling by visiting betterhelp.com/voucher and using the code hurricane-helene-support.

FEMA individual assistance

FEMA has declared Individual Assistance (IA) for Hurricane Helene. What does this mean for you? It means that you can apply for disaster assistance from FEMA to help offset your disaster-related expenses.  You can apply online at https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ or by telephone at (800) 621-3362. Otherwise, you can download the FEMA weather app from Google PlayStore or the Apple Store and you can apply for assistance on the app and upload receipts. Whichever method you choose, the form has a few questions that are tricky. To avoid delay, please follow the following tips:

1. One of the questions that FEMA will ask when you register is “Do You Have Emergency Needs”? This means during your evacuation or since staying at home during the disaster, do you need help with Gas, Medication, Food (meals, water, had no power and everything spoils), Shelter (you are staying with friends, family or in a hotel); Clothing; or Durable Medical Equipment (oxygen, walkers, cane, glasses, all major equipment, etc). If this is true, say “YES” to this question. That will result in your receiving Displacement / Critical Needs Assistance, which is $750.
2. When asked if your home is/was accessible, answer “NO” if there was debris, tree branches, continued flooding, loss of power, damage or destruction that prevented you from staying there after Helene. This question is asking whether you can stay at your home or apartment and will trigger the ability for you to receive assistance to pay for hotels or provide funding to use while you stay with family or friends.
3. When asked if utilities are out, say “YES” even if your utilities were out for a few days. This triggers assistance $ to stay somewhere other than your home or to buy fuel to power a generator.
4. When asked “Are you willing to relocate” say “YES” if you cannot live in your home due to damage, loss of power, etc. This question means you are willing to stay in a hotel or apartment temporarily, and triggers that funding for you. It is not asking if you are willing to move away from your home permanently.
5. If you bought or buy a generator, FEMA will reimburse you up to $629, but you must submit the receipt. If you bought a chainsaw, FEMA will reimburse you up to $219. Again, you need to provide the receipt. Save your receipts.

Resources

This Google Sheet is a crowdsourced tool being updated continuously by various Facebook Groups. Other websites include:

• Hurricane Helene | NC DPS
• Home | FEMA.gov
• disasterassistance.gov 
• D-SNAP disaster food relief | USAGov
• Manna FoodBank’s website

This attachment includes organizations that provide assistance along with ways to donate to these groups.

Connecting with loved ones

With many folks still without cell service, the Register of Deeds office is helping families locate loved ones they haven’t heard from. They’ve received 11,000+ requests so far. A wellness check initiative is being organized, with volunteers conducting door-to-door visits. If you haven’t heard from someone who may be affected by the storm, please complete this form to notify Buncombe County officials or call (828) 820-2761 to leave a voicemail.

FEMA Assistance

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may be able to help with serious needs, displacement, temporary lodging, basic home repair costs, personal property loss or other disaster-caused needs for those without flood insurance. Homeowners and renters in Alexander, Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Clay, Cleveland, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Lincoln, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes and Yancey counties and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians can apply for FEMA assistance.

You can apply using the FEMA mobile app or by calling FEMA’s helpline toll-free at 800-621-3362. Lines are open every day 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and help is available in most languages. Here’s what you need when you apply:

• A current phone number where you can be contacted.
• Your address at the time of the disaster and the address where you are now staying.
• Your Social Security number.
• A general list of damage and losses.
• Banking information if you choose direct deposit.
• If insured, the policy number or the agent and/or the company name.

If you have homeowners, renters or flood insurance, file a claim as soon as possible. FEMA cannot duplicate benefits for losses covered by insurance. If your policy does not cover all your disaster expenses, you may be eligible for federal assistance.

Source: Asheville Citizen Times