It’s not too late to receive crisis counseling from Hurricane Florence. A state-wide hurricane counseling program, Hope 4 NC, is still up and running, thanks to a $12.2 million federal grant announced by Governor Roy Cooper in April. Today, the program has made contact with 287,000 individuals in 28 North Carolina counties.
While it’s been almost a year since Florence, Hope 4 NC Regional Director Lauren Swain says many survivors are still experiencing challenging times. She also says crisis counseling is still important because it doesn’t just help people cope with past disasters.
"How can we prepare you for future events? How can we help you in terms of resiliency? A lot of our communities have discovered how resilient they really are."
Swain stresses that counseling is free and accessible to anyone who needs it.
"We're here to help. We're not here to gather personal identifying information such as your social security number, your date of birth. You know, we're not here to put your name into a database… we have some great information and resources to give the community."
Anyone can call the Hope 4 NC hotline, at 1-855-587-FIND.
An in-person counseling session will be held in Brunswick County next Friday, August 30 from 3-7 p.m. at Belville Town Hall.
