Maybe by the time this hits the streets, this problem will be solved. Right now, though, I’m looking at the way the hurricane relief scenario is playing out and feeling like Western North Carolina is, perhaps, on the way to getting shafted. At the very least, we are having to work too hard to get what came to others very quickly.

First is the issue of Federal Emergency Management Agency money going to counties down east where there was little damage. Rep. Charles Taylor (R-Brevard) has asked for a formal investigation, so it’s unknown just exactly how this issue will be resolved.

It seems several counties in southeastern North Carolina — Bladen, Hoke, Cumberland, Roberson, Scotland and Columbus — were declared disaster areas despite evidence that damage was relatively minimal. The Raleigh News and Observer broke this story, and it quoted the Bladen County Emergency Management Director as saying he had no reports of damage after 1 inch of rain fell during Frances. Still, more than 1,170 residents applied for and received $2.6 million in aid from FEMA. In Haywood County about 500 residents received $3.6 million from FEMA after being devastated by the flooding.

In all, these six southeastern counties received a total of $11 million of the $20 million provided by FEMA to North Carolina residents for damages from Frances.

“Fraud is fraud,” said Rep. Ray Rapp, D-Mars Hill, who is supporting Taylor’s call for an investigation into the matter.

The truth is that once a disaster strikes, FEMA must get set up and start handing out aid very quickly. If it makes residents who apply for help go through a lot of red tape, its mission of helping those who have often lost everything is seriously compromised. It’s a tricky line to walk, deciding who is legitimately in need and who may be exaggerating claims in hopes of milking the federal government. FEMA discovered just last week that a computer glitch had led to $12 million in overpayments to Florida residents.

I used to call this part of eastern North Carolina home. Elizabethtown, the county seat of Bladen, is a sleepy little town of white oaks and Spanish moss situated on a high bluff above the southern bank of the Cape Fear River. It’s mostly a drive-through county for people on their way to Wrightsville or Myrtle Beach.

Many depend on government aid of some sort as there are very few decent jobs. Perhaps there was a rush to take advantage of FEMA’s money by people who had a bit of damage but nothing so severe as what we in the mountains have dealt with. We can only hope Taylor prods Congress into taking a serious look into this situation, and we can also thank the reporters at the Raleigh newspaper for uncovering this story.

Legislative inaction

Perhaps more disturbing, though, is the way lawmakers in Raleigh are treating our needs. As of this writing, no plan for helping out had been developed.

After deciding a special legislative session was unnecessary or perhaps untimely because the long legislative session was about to start, it was decided that flood aid would be the first item on lawmakers’ list when they got to Raleigh. A committee had worked for weeks and finally decided that there were about $373 million in unmet needs following Frances and Ivan.

But guess what happened this week? A plan to implement a temporary half-cent sales tax to raise the money was shot out of the water by House Republicans representing our western counties. They complained that the state should first deplete its rainy day fund — which stands at around $230 million — before it even thinks about implementing a special tax.

A report out today (Feb. 1) says Gov. Mike Easley is advocating caution. He has already allocated $90 million for aid, and now says he doesn’t want to state to just start sending money into damaged counties like it did after Hurricane Floyd swamped eastern North Carolina. Some are now floating figures around Raleigh of only about $140 million in unmet needs, an amount far lower than what the special committee who met with locals came up with.

So now it’s February and WNC is still waiting. Legislators from other parts of the state, I suppose, are getting anxious to move on to other topics. In Peeks Creek, in Canton and in Clyde, though, people are rebuilding lives as best they can. Some things can’t be put off.

(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainews.com.)