Some area residents — whether they have new homes along Tranter’s Creek in western Beaufort County or historic houses along the Pamlico River — likely will be eligible for assistance in repairing damage to their residences caused by Hurricane Matthew and subsequent flooding.

Most of that assistance would come from government agencies like the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“There are no FEMA ‘teams’ presently in Beaufort County. However, there will be FEMA inspectors responding to the registrations of county residents who have experienced flood damage,” according to Nathan Custer, a FEMA media relations specialist, on Thursday. “There is no base of operations for these inspectors. They operate out of their hotel rooms. The inspectors are given names and addresses of those who have registered. The inspector makes an appointment, within a matter of days after the registration occurs, to visit the property and assess the damage. The property must be the owner’s principal residence. Vacation homes, secondary homes are not covered.”

After an assessment, the inspector forwards a damage report to FEMA and a decision is made on the grant amount, if any, for emergency home repairs.

FEMA does not duplicate what may be covered by homeowners insurance or other applicable insurance.

“FEMA does not make people whole again. The idea is to help get them back on their feet by funding emergency repairs to make the home safe, secure and functional,” according to Custer.

Storm and/or flood victims should check with their insurance agencies to file insurance claims. FEMA is unable to duplicate insurance payments. However, those without insurance or underinsured may still receive help after their insurance claims have been settled.

For homeowners who might want to elevate their homes — or consider moving out of flood-prone areas — such an opportunity exists.

The City of Washington and Beaufort County have roles in making that happen, according to John Rodman, the city’s director of community and cultural resources.

“What the city can do is, when FEMA aid becomes available, what we’ve done in the past … is with elevation projects we’ve partnered with the county to fill out applications to go to FEMA for elevation projects and that sort of thing,” Rodman said. “In the past, we partnered with the county so we could have a good application (process) to have a number of homes … that have had repetitive losses in flooding. It makes a more attractive application to present to FEMA when we combine resources … with the county.”

Once that process starts, Rodman said, the city and county will publicize it so homeowners know when to begin submitting applications for assistance.

In the years since Hurricane Floyd devastated the area in 1999, FEMA has bought properties with histories of repetitive flooding, explaining that doing that is cheaper in the long run than continuing to provide financial assistance to property owners who experience repeated losses caused by flooding.

N.C. Insurance Commissioner Wayne Goodwin has activated the Disaster Mediation Program to help homeowners resolve disputed homeowners insurance claims for residential property damage resulting from Hurricane Matthew.

For more information about insurance claims, go online at www.NCHurriClaims.com or call the Department of Insurance at 855-408-1212 to speak to a consumer-services specialist.