The Winston-Salem, N.C., City Council on Feb. 21 approved a $1 million fund to help people who had to spend nights in hotels or lost their paychecks as a result of the Jan. 31 fire at the Winston Weaver Co. fertilizer plant (GM Feb. 4, p. 1). A multi-day evacuation was enforced around the plant due to concerns about a potential ammonium nitrate explosion.
According to the Winston-Salem Journal, the payments will be capped at $1,000 per household and will be limited to low- and moderate-income households under guidelines established by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, provided receipts are available to verify the expenditures. Individuals who cannot show receipts or proof of losses will be limited to a $300 payout.
A local nonprofit, Experiment in Self-Reliance, will administer the distribution of the money for the city. To get help, people must live within the evacuation area or work for a business in the evacuation area that closed as a result of the evacuation. Reimbursable expenses are limited to hotel expenses, food, lost wages, or other expenses relating to the evacuation, the Winston-Salem Journal reported.
The city said individuals who were reimbursed for their expenses from any other public or private source will not be able to claim money under the city program. Winston Weaver earlier this month announced that it was contributing $100,000 to help the city recover from the fire. City officials said Monday they will attempt to get reimbursement from Winston Weaver for the money the city pays out under its aid program.
Fire officials have not yet identified the cause of the fire. At a press conference on Feb. 9, Winston-Salem Fire Chief Trey Mayo said investigators “have an idea of where we believe the fire began,” but he provided no further details, saying he did not want to “corrupt” the ongoing investigation (GM Feb. 11, p. 1).