CHARLESTON, W.Va. –
This week, crews are working towards completion of five homes that are currently in active construction, meaning these homes are past the permitting process and work is being physically conducted. This total includes three reconstructions and two mobile home unit replacements. It is expected that one of these homes will be ready for final inspection within the next two weeks.
There are an additional 56 homes at varying points in the construction phase and an additional 26 projects are awaiting homeowner signatures, which will move them into the construction phase within the next few weeks as notices to proceed were recently submitted.
Work on the Bridge program continued in Roane County this week as crews tore down the old bridge and will begin physical construction on the new one next week. There are an additional eight bridges ready for construction and work is expected to begin on those projects in the coming weeks.
The Slum and Blight program has been approved to begin as of this week. There are more than 50 projects awaiting demolition once the projects are though the environmental review process. An additional 94 projects are in the pipeline for removal that are considered an “imminent threat" from the county or municipality, meaning those properties pose a threat to the health and safety of the public. These projects will move from the “imminent threat” phase to the environmental review process before demolition can begin. The Slum and Blight program is still accepting applications in all counties affected by the 2016 flood.
Hoyer briefed the Kanawha County Commission on Thursday, April 11, 2019, on the progress of the Riverview project. That project has had all environmental studies completed and is ready to move forward with acquisition.
The number of outstanding Housing Program cases remains at 465 this week. The current breakdown of those cases by construction type are as follows: 49 homes are complete, 244 cases require total reconstruction, 98 cases require some form of rehabilitation actions, and 109 cases require new mobile home replacement, while 14 cases are awaiting initial project type.
Any families who feel they still have any unmet needs or who are looking for an update on their case are urged to contact the new VOAD office over the phone at 304-553-0927 or through email at DisasterRecovery@wv.gov < Caution-mailto:DisasterRecovery@wv.gov > . A hotline is also available for anyone needing to report fraud with regard to the RISE West Virginia program at 1-866-WVWATCH (1-866-989-2824).