West Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office 1703 Coonskin Drive Charleston, WV 25311                                       PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Release No. 19-48 May 9, 2019 WV National Guard Public Affairs Office (304) 561-6762 West Virginia Adjutant General’s update on RISE West Virginia case management   CHARLESTON, W.Va. - West Virginia National Guard's Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. James Hoyer, issues the following update on RISE West Virginia's case management status: This week, the first bridge in the Bridge Program was completed in Roane County. Crews continue to work towards completion of 12 homes that are in active construction, an increase of five from our previous week’s report. The number of outstanding Housing Program cases is 479 this week, as 18 cases were closed out and one additional case was added. The current breakdown by construction type is as follows: 50 homes are complete, 251 cases require total reconstruction, 92 cases require some form of rehabilitation actions, 107 cases require new mobile home replacement, and 29 cases are awaiting initial project type and undergoing the damage assessment process. In an effort to maximize program participation for West Virginia flood victims, the intake process remains open and VOAD continues to research more than 1,300 cases that were previously closed out. There are 62 other reconstruction and mobile home unit replacement projects at varying points in the initial construction phase, including permitting, inspections and asbestos abatement. There are 23 other projects awaiting signed homeowner agreements to move forward in the construction process. We have received 54 completed environmental reviews, which will allow cases to move forward through the final phases of the case management process and into the construction management phase. Since June 2018, the construction management team has completed 155 work orders. There remain an additional eight bridges ready for construction and 29 other bridges ready for design. Work is expected to begin on the second bridge in Nicholas County within the coming week. Currently, 10 projects are in the final stages of the environmental review process for the Slum and Blight program, which is expected to being in the coming weeks. There are an additional 148 projects currently in the Slum and Blight program, 131 of which are ready for the environmental review process. An additional 26 projects are in the case management process 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. 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. 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).   ### For more information, contact the West Virginia National Guard Public Affairs Office at: (304) 5616762 or email: holli.r.nelson.mil@mail.mil West Virginia National Guard Facebook – www.facebook.com/WV.NationalGuard West Virginia National Guard Instagram – www.instagram.com/wv_nationalguard West Virginia National Guard Twitter – www.twitter.com/wvnationalguard West Virginia National Guard DVIDS – www.dvidshub.net/units/wv-ang