Five houses in Columbia that were damaged during Hurricane Matthew in October 2016 are slated to receive disaster recovery funding, but no rehabilitation bids from contractors were received by the town on May 17, delaying the project.

The houses to be rehabilitated, according to town manager Rhett White, are at 512 South Road St., 301 Fonsoe St., 807 Green St., 509 North Light St., and 388 Road St. Extended.

The North Carolina Housing Finance Agency is providing 100% of the funding for the Columbia disaster recovery program.

The money to be spent on each house is a forgivable interest-free loan, which will be amortized at the rate of $5,000 for each year that the owner occupies the structure.

White told the board of aldermen on May 6 that more houses could be included in the project, depending on the sum of the bids received.