RICHMOND, Va. — Southwest Virginia was hit hard by the remnants of Hurricane Helene nearly two months ago, as the storm destroyed homes, buildings, and roads.
Over 3,500 farms across 21 localities were also damaged as a result of the hurricane, officials say.
Now, people from all across Central Virginia are continuing to find ways to help.
In Henrico County, a community put together a cold weather supply drive at a local supermarket.
In the Tri-Cities, two non-profits teamed up to take down supplies.
In South Hill, an organization is collecting money to send Thanksgiving meals to hurricane victims.
Help is also continuing to pour in from both the state and federal levels. Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin announced Thursday that more than $30 million has been allocated to help victims.
$20 million has gone to funding public relief projects, and another $10 million has been given to individuals needing assistance.
“I'm encouraged by the pace of the work here, although at any time it's a day too long. People who have lost so much continue to just be anxious about when the assistance is going to arrive," Youngkin said.
Eight disaster recovery centers are still in use to connect people to resources and support. However, getting ahold of the people needing help is the current obstacle.
Youngkin said FEMA is struggling to get people to answer the phone and this is leading the agency to initially have to deny some claims.
"Sometimes we just need more information, and oftentimes there's an insurance payment that exceeds and covers what the FEMA support otherwise would cover," Youngkin said.
He asked people to pick up the phone because he says one call could be the difference in coming out of devastation with the funds to rebuild.
Youngkin said when the total cost of the devastation is determined, the state will let the White House and Congress know as they continue the process of securing more funding for recovery.
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