As winter storm approaches, North Carolina governor urges FEMA to prolong temporary housing aid.

Gov. Stein of North Carolina stated that he will utilize all available resources to ensure that residents affected by Hurricane Helene remain warm during winter storms, which may impact power grids and other critical infrastructure already affected by the previous storm.

This weekend, thousands of North Carolina residents who are staying in temporary housing assistance provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will have to leave as the program ends on Saturday. Some of these residents are expected to face freezing temperatures in the Appalachian Mountain region.

FEMA has granted temporary shelter assistance until Tuesday due to the winter storm's impact on western North Carolina, as confirmed by Stein's office to FOX Business.

The Transitional Sheltering Assistance (TSA) program, which was granted to survivors identified by FEMA beginning in October but cannot be requested, was initially set to end on Friday but was later pushed back to Saturday.

Through Monday, FEMA's local disaster recovery centers will be closed because of winter weather.

Gov. Josh Stein stated that he will continue to utilize all available resources to ensure individuals have access to safe and warm shelters.

Eligibility for hotel or motel rooms in North Carolina ended on Jan. 3, and recipients received letters informing them of the change. They were given a week's notice to check out.

The program in western North Carolina continues to support thousands of Hurricane Helene survivors.

There are currently 5,600 households currently checked into hotels, according to FEMA.

Those with questions about eligibility should contact the FEMA helpline at 1-800-621-3362, as stated by the agency.

Planet Chronicle Digital's Audrey Conklin and Brooke Singman contributed to this article.