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Am I Eligible for FEMA Relief? Here’s What You Need to Know Who Qualifies for Assistance? Federal disaster aid is available for residents and business owners in the following counties: 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. Not sure if you’re eligible? You can verify your eligibility and apply directly on FEMA’s website: DisasterAssistance.gov. What Assistance Does FEMA Offer? FEMA provides a range of relief programs aimed at helping individuals and businesses recover from disasters. Here’s a closer look at what you may be eligible to receive: 1. Housing Assistance This aid helps you secure safe shelter while your home is being repaired or rebuilt. FEMA can provide funds for: Rental Assistance: Financial support to rent a temporary residence if your home is uninhabitable due to disaster-related damage. Lodging Expense Reimbursement: If you had to stay in a hotel or motel, FEMA can reimburse you for these expenses. This is especially helpful if you were unable to find immediate rental options. Home Repair or Replacement: Grants are available to help repair or replace your home and address disaster-specific damages, such as water damage or mold. FEMA may also cover hazard mitigation measures that reduce the risk of future damage. Accessibility Needs: If you or someone in your household has a disability, FEMA can provide funds to make your home accessible. This might include ramps, grab bars, and other necessary modifications, even if these were not originally present before the disaster. Privately-Owned Roads, Bridges, and Docks: If the only access to your home has been damaged, FEMA can help cover repair costs for private infrastructure like roads and bridges. 2. Other Needs Assistance This program helps with essential expenses and serious needs beyond housing. Covered expenses include: Serious Needs: Grants to cover immediate necessities like food, water, first aid, prescriptions, and personal hygiene items, ensuring you have access to essentials during recovery. Displacement: If your home is uninhabitable, FEMA can help cover the cost of staying with family, friends, or in a hotel while you search for a more permanent solution. Personal Property: Financial assistance to repair or replace items essential to daily life, such as appliances, furniture, and work or school-related items like computers and tools. This can also include uniforms, books, and equipment needed for self-employment. Medical and Dental Expenses: If the disaster caused injury or damaged medical or dental equipment, FEMA can help cover the costs for treatment, equipment replacement, and prescribed medications. Funeral Costs: In the unfortunate event that the disaster resulted in a loss of life, FEMA offers support to cover funeral or reburial expenses. Child Care: For families facing increased child care costs due to the disaster, FEMA can provide funds to help cover these additional expenses. Assistance for Miscellaneous Items: Reimbursement for items like generators, dehumidifiers, and chainsaws that were purchased or rented to aid in the recovery process. Transportation: If your vehicle was damaged and you don’t have an alternative mode of transportation, FEMA may help cover the repair or replacement costs to ensure you have a way to get to work, school, or other essential places. Moving and Storage Expenses: FEMA can help with costs associated with moving and storing personal property, especially if it needs to be relocated temporarily during home repairs or if you need to move to a new residence. Each of these programs is designed to provide immediate and practical support, so you can focus on the well-being of your family and community as you rebuild after the disaster. How Do I Apply for FEMA Assistance? Applying for FEMA relief is straightforward. Here are the steps to get started: Apply Online: Visit DisasterAssistance.gov to apply for assistance. You can also download the FEMA App or call FEMA’s toll-free number at 1-800-621-3362. Register for an Account: If you’re applying online, you’ll need to create an account on Login.gov. This will allow you to save your application, upload documents, and check your status. Prepare Your Information: You’ll need details like your home and mailing address, Social Security number, insurance info, and bank details for direct deposit. Submit Your Application: Once you’ve completed the application, review it, make any necessary changes, and submit it. Be sure to save your application ID as you’ll need it for future communication with FEMA. What Happens After You Apply? After applying, FEMA will review your application and may contact you for additional information or to schedule an inspection. You can always log into your account on DisasterAssistance.gov to check your application status and receive updates. If approved, FEMA will disburse funds via direct deposit or a mailed check, based on your preference. For more information or to begin the application process, visit DisasterAssistance.gov, call FEMA at 1-800-621-3362, or use the FEMA App. Recovering from Disaster with FEMA’s Support If you’re affected by Hurricane Helene, you don’t have to face it alone. FEMA offers a range of programs designed to help you get back on your feet. Take advantage of these resources to help ease the journey to recovery. 5 min read

Hendersonville branch to host UNC Health Pardee’s Mammo on the Go bus The most important thing we do is good. See how our Hendersonville branch is helping to support local organizations like Women Helping Women. 2 min read

First Bank partners with Habitat for Humanity to promote housing affordability There’s no place like home for the holidays. The benefits of homeownership reach far beyond the financial investment and earned equity. Owning a home means long-term security and stability for individuals, families, and economies to thrive. This holiday season, we’re reflecting on our Power of Good commitment to Housing Affordability and our partnership with Habitat for Humanity. “Greater tax generation, creation of jobs, opportunities for economic development, increased job retention and productivity, and the ability to address inequality — all are among the economic benefits of increased access to quality, affordable housing.” – Habitat for Humanity What does housing-affordability mean? While many factors impact what affordable means to each buyer, housing policymakers generally use the 30% rule that states no more than 30% of your income should be spent on housing. In areas where the average home prices and rental rates exceed the 30% rule for the average citizen’s income, housing is deemed unaffordable and residents are considered to be housing cost-burdened. Nationwide, U.S. Census Bureau data shows that 40% of renters meet the definition of cost-burdened. Additionally, an October 2023 report from Redfin suggests that homebuyers must now earn a $115,000 annual salary to afford the median-priced U.S. home – that’s up more than 50% since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Housing affordability snapshot on the Carolinas As population growth continues to rise across North and South Carolina, it’s proving difficult to keep up with the increase in demand for housing. Many experts point to the combination of limited supply and growing demand for the sharp rise in housing costs. Cost-burdened households in North Carolina represent 45% of renters and 19% of homeowners while in South Carolina those numbers are 50% and 25% respectively. What are the impacts of cost-burdened households? Households that spend more than 30% of their budget on housing oftentimes experience a snowball effect on other areas of their budget. Many housing cost-burdened households experience food insecurity and are forced to make difficult decisions like choosing between paying a bill or seeking medical care. This also makes it difficult to save for emergencies in the future, and places more reliance on credit card spending. When these difficult circumstances at an individual level become compounded, the entire community’s wellbeing becomes marginalized. First Bank’s commitment to affordable housing As a First Bank client, you’ve made the decision to invest in your community. Our designation as a community bank means that we will always prioritize investing in the communities where we do business. Unlike banks who operate nationally or globally, First Bank is committed to the Carolinas. Banking with First Bank allows you to keep your hard-earned money within your community – where it can do the most good for your neighbors. Our First Bank Power of Good corporate citizenship program has made the following investments in affordable housing: 6 min read

Power of Good Spotlight: Diaper Drive for Dare County The most important thing we do is good. See how our Kill Devil Hills branch is helping to support local diaper banks in Dare County. 3 min read

The Durable Skills Project Once Again a Success The Durable Skills Project helps students develop their interpersonal soft skills so they can unlock their true potential. Learn more about the impact it had for the 2022-2023 school year. 3 min read

Branch Spotlight: Combining Finance, Community Building, and Line Dancing in Florence, SC No team in banking understands the nuances of line dancing and banking quite like our Florence-Main branch. Join them for line dancing on Friday mornings! In March of 2023, we expanded our South Carolina footprint with the purchase of GrandSouth bank, adding 8 branches to the First Bank family. Our Florence-Main branch, operated by Paul Seward, Area Executive, and newly promoted City Executive, Ashley Christenbury, kicks off every Friday morning with some good old fashioned line dancing. You might think that line dancing and banking don’t have anything in common, but our team at the Florence-Main branch is here to prove you wrong. The choreography, methodical steps, camaraderie, and community-building aspects of line dancing have direct parallels with banking – and with First Bank specifically. Much like the choreography needed for a group to do the “Biker Shuffle” in unison, the moving parts needed to operate one of the nation’s most successful banks must work together seamlessly. First Bank’s mission combines financial safety and soundness with community trust and confidence. Throughout our organization’s 87-year history, we have seen recessions, depressions, and many banks come and go. Because of our commitment to being safe and sound and serving our customers, we have been awarded as a Number 1 Best-in-State Bank by Forbes, as an Annual KBW Bank Honor Roll Award winner, and one of the Top 10 best-performing public banks in the nation by S&P Global, along with many other accolades. The energy and teambuilding atmosphere cultivated at a line dance is hard to beat. As everyone works together, each dancer contributes to creating something larger than themselves. As the group grows in size and complexity, the more impressive the dance becomes. Similarly, banks that work together with their neighbors foster mutual growth, lasting impact, and impressive communities. An actively involved local bank can provide their neighbors with increased access to small business loans, mortgages, charitable donations, and overall financial wellness. When asked about her favorite part of working at First Bank, Ashley said, “First Bank’s commitment to the local communities we serve across our footprint is incredible. First Bank makes it a priority to support various initiatives on a corporate level and we are expected and encouraged to be involved 3 min read

Banks in North Carolina Did you know there are more than 100 First Bank locations in North Carolina? It’s true. You can find us in over 60 cities, mountains to coast. Did you know we’re one of the oldest banks in North Carolina? Yup, our roots date back to 1935 in the town of Troy, North Carolina. Did you know we’re a full-service bank? We sure are. We have checking and savings accounts for personal and business use, credit cards, loans of all types, business merchant services, insurance, mortgages, wealth management, and more. Of all the banks in North Carolina, we are confident you won’t find the personal level of customer service, complete selection of services, and convenient array of locations that you’ll find with First Bank. We take advantage of technology to bring our customers the added convenience of online, mobile, and digital banking services to enhance the First Bank experience.* We even connect with our customers through our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube channels! Not Like the Other Banks in North Carolina You’re likely to find three types of banks in North Carolina. First, you’ll find the large national banks. They don’t have the capacity to get to personally know their customers and specifically cater services to those needs. The second are smaller local banks that aren’t equipped with the selection of services that bigger banks can offer. The third type of bank in North Carolina is First Bank, which offers the best of both worlds. We are small enough to provide the friendly customer service and personal care of a local bank and big enough to provide all the services and products of the bigger banks. So get to know First Bank, and we’ll be pleased to get to know you right back. 2 min read

NC Bank If you are looking for one of the best North Carolina banks, consider a visit to your local First Bank. First Bank is an NC bank that is small enough to know you by name, but large enough to meet all of your banking needs. We have more than 100 convenient locations throughout the state of North Carolina. Plus, First Bank was recently recognized as one of the by Forbes. Banking Services First Bank offers a variety of banking services for families, individuals, and business owners in North Carolina. Some of our services include: Personal banking: Checking accounts, savings accounts, debit cards, personal loans, and more. Business banking: Checking accounts, savings accounts, loans and credit, merchant services, and more. Mortgages: Conventional loans, jumbo loans, government loans, VA loans, and one-time close construction-to-permanent loans. We also have a Financial Education Center where you can find articles about buying a home, starting a business, our activities in the community, and more! Click here to explore more banking options. First Bank‘s Mission At the beginning of the Great Depression, a small town in North Carolina lost its only bank. That town was Troy, NC, and in 1935 First Bank opened its first branch to help with the loss. At that time, we were called Bank of Montgomery, and we were known for helping farmers and local businesses manage their money for 3 whole decades. In 1985, we changed our name to First Bank, and a lot has changed since then. The manufacturing, industrial, and technology industries have grown, and we’ve continued to evolve to meet the needs of our customers. Our mission is to show that we care about our customers, and to provide them with safe and convenient banking. If you are looking for a North Carolina bank that strives to meet your needs, visit a First Bank branch near you. Loans subject to credit approval. Member FDIC. Sources: NCpedia: http://www.ncpedia.org/history/20th-Century/great-depression 2 min read

Happy National Financial Literacy Month! April, like any month of the year, is the perfect time to take a look at your spending habits and build better behaviors to hit your long-term savings goals. But what makes this month especially ideal is that it’s National Financial Literacy Month! 1 min read

First Bank and Northern Moore Family Resource Center – “Dream It. Do It.” First Bank has partnered with Northern Moore Family Resource Center (NMFRC) for the final quarter of its “Dream It. Do It.” contest. 1 min read

First Bank and Community Housing Solutions – “Dream It. Do It.” First Bank has partnered with Community Housing Solutions for the third quarter of its “Dream It. Do It.” contest. 1 min read

First Bank and Kids Making It – “Dream It. Do It.” First Bank has partnered with Kids Making It for the second quarter of its “Dream It. Do It.” contest. 1 min read

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