(bright music) - [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

- Just ahead on "Carolina Impact."

- Months after Hurricane Helene, help for some, but not for everybody.

I'm Jeff Sonier in Western North Carolina.

We'll show you where FEMA is providing some services, and also where they're not.

- Plus, we highlight the woman behind the smile at one of East Charlotte's most popular restaurants.

And how a Charlotte nonprofit helps women dress for success.

"Carolina Impact" starts right now.

(upbeat music) Good evening.

Thanks so much for joining us.

I'm Amy Burkett.

Back in September, Hurricane Helene came quickly to Western Carolina.

It was a 24 hour storm that left 25 North Carolina counties as major disaster areas.

But why does recovery relief seem to move so slowly, just when victims need it most?

"Carolina Impact's" Jeff Sonier and videographer Russ Hunsinger take us to the mountain communities that are still waiting for help in a story you'll only see on PBS Charlotte.

- Yeah, this makeshift neighborhood of 50 FEMA trailers in Old Fort outside of Asheville is providing temporary homes for victims of Hurricane Helene who lost everything.

But elsewhere here in Western North Carolina, how much help you're getting from FEMA may depend on where you live.

(gentle music) - I've been here about three weeks, and I found out about it through FEMA, they actually placed me here, yeah.

- [Jeff] Beth Keeter says she was living in a hotel paid for by FEMA before moving into her own FEMA trailer here.

Not exactly home sweet home, at least not yet.

But after Hurricane Helene, well, she's thankful for anything she can get.

- I signed about 13 documents and was given a set of keys.

- [Jeff] How surprised were you to get a trailer?

- Very.

- Why?

- Well, my home was a total loss.

I haven't been that lucky before, so it just really surprised me that I was this time.

But it's beginning to be my new home, so that makes a difference.

- [Jeff] Yet here in Old Fort, Beth is one of the 50 FEMA success stories.

A FEMA press release back in February says 150 households now have FEMA trailers in Western North Carolina after Helene with 13,000 more getting temporary shelter from FEMA at hotels since the storm.

(gentle music) But as you follow the path of hurricane damage north to Yancey County, well that's when those thanks FEMA stories start changing to where's FEMA stories.

- I think the disappointment is the aftermath and the way that FEMA is just dragging their heels.

- [Jeff] Ted Knesec's mountain view hasn't changed, but his mountain property is mostly gone now.

All but a few feet from his front door swallowed up by the swollen river.

- I don't know if you can see it on the camera.

This was actually flat out to about the middle of the current river.

- [Jeff] Wow, I mean your garage is literally teetering on the edge.

And your house is not far behind.

- [Ted] No, it's just a matter of time.

- [Jeff] And the time it's taking to get help from FEMA and from the state, well it's time that his family, still hanging on here, doesn't have anymore.

- So it's not only us, there's thousands upon thousands of people that just don't know what tomorrow is gonna bring.

- You're one of them.

- Right.

- [Jeff] What is tomorrow gonna bring for your family?

- We don't know.

- Leaving people in limbo without decisions, especially when it comes to their home is torture, right?

- [Jeff] Yancey County Planner Chris Sigmon feels the frustration about FEMA every day, and so does County Spokesperson Aprel Wilson.

- Yeah, it's the red tape and the wording and knowing how to like translate what's on the form into language that the common person can understand, I think sometimes is if you get denied, there might've been just one box you missed.

- [Jeff] Wilson adds that despite all the hurricane housing damage in Yancey County, FEMA's only located three of its trailers here, while unused trailers sit in a hickory parking lot only a 90 minute drive away.

And it's not just Yancey County homeowners who are battling the bureaucracy either, at FEMA and in Raleigh.

- Yeah, so Yancey County is number two in damage from the storm behind Buncombe County.

If you took the metric of damage or catastrophe on a per capita basis, we got devastated, and here we sit five months removed and they're still figuring that out and the money's not flowing.

It's really been kind of a farce.

The public assistance projects that we've submitted, none of them are being funded.

So what we're asking for is to fund the need and not the population or the votes.

- [Jeff] Is that why you're not being funded, because of your small size, because of your remote location?

- Well you have to ask the question, if the governor immediately goes to Asheville and gives the city of Asheville $225 million and doesn't give us anything, why did that happen when we're number two?

We can make a huge dent in our roads and bridges that are out, which is $5 million, right?

But we didn't get that same treatment.

And why is that?

- [Jeff] In the meantime, the governor's first trip to Yancey County since the storm was mostly a photo-op.

He didn't visit the neighbors still living in donated campers, relying for months on water from temporary tanks and plastic bottles stacked outside with supplies brought in by volunteers.

Everybody just kind of making do I guess right now.

- We've been giving out small propane heaters and stuff, but even that is not gonna be sufficient for folks in any kind of long term situation is.

As bad as the storm was and the devastation it brought, the only thing that's gonna help is a new location.

- Leaving is going to be exceedingly difficult, but we need to figure out where we're gonna be tomorrow.

- [Jeff] That's the feeling shared by other storm victims.

They lost everything to the hurricane too.

- I somewhat feel guilty even sometimes because you hear stories and a lot of them are a lot worse than mine.

So who am I to receive something when someone else doesn't?

- What do you say to the folks who didn't get a trailer who are still looking?

- [Beth] Just don't lose hope.

Don't lose faith.

Keep trying and just keep that hope alive, you know?

- Yeah, for the families here in Old Fort now living in these FEMA trailers, well, they've got 18 months now to start getting back on their feet after the hurricane.

But for thousands more in Western North Carolina, still without help from FEMA, well the question we keep hearing is, what's taking so long?

Amy?

- Thank you, Jeff.

To find out more about FEMA's hurricane response in the state, head to pbscharlotte.org.

We'll link you to the official FEMA website for Hurricane Helene with details on how to apply for assistance and how you can help storm victims.

Next, let's meet one of our neighbors.

We're headed to East Charlotte's Lang Van Vietnamese Restaurant what's been a staple here for more than 25 years.

"Carolina Impact's" Dara Khaalid and videographer Russ Hunsinger sat down with the owner to learn more about the woman behind the big smile.

♪ I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you ♪ ♪ I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you ♪ ♪ So would you be mine, could you be mine ♪ ♪ Won't you be my neighbor ♪ ♪ Hi neighbor ♪ - Thank you mommy.

How are you?

Long time no see.

- [Dara] She's got a lot of personality.

(Dan speaking foreign language) You can hear it.

- I got it.

- And feel it.

- Thank you.

- [Dara] When you walk through the doors of Lang Van in East Charlotte.

- What time you eat here?

- First time.

- [Dara] Whether it's your first time.

- Oh, she's lovely.

- I tell a long time I don't see them.

- [Dara] Or you've lost count of how many times.

- I've been coming here since 1987.

- Owner Dan Nguyen does her best to make you feel right at home.

- I remember they eat, no menu.

- No menu at all.

Exactly.

- I love people.

Mama, I can't tell, and I give hug, sometime I don't.

Take out, you know.

Thank you.

- Thank you.

- [Dara] Aside from those long, warm hugs, she remembers orders.

- Chicken and vegetable, extra chicken, spicy?

- Yep.

- Of many who've stopped by before.

- I come in here, we sit down, I hear the machine going where she's making a jackfruit shake for me every time.

- Daddy, happy birthday.

- [Dara] Little things like this made Derryl Berry's choice easy on where he was gonna spend his 82nd birthday.

- Happy birthday, Bob.

♪ Happy birthday daddy ♪ - That's one of the reasons I come here, because I know that she knows me and makes me feel good.

- [Dan] Yeah.

- [Dara] And as the 52-year-old happily moves around the restaurant she's worked at since 2000, she hides a lot of pain behind her smile.

- My mom and my dad, no money, no take care of me.

I'm too young.

Me no sleep a lot.

I go to work, school, work, school.

Sometime I don't have food.

I go to school, I take food, my friend finish eat, I eat.

- [Dara] Dan opens up to me about growing up in Vietnam, a country at war when she was born.

However, in her early 20s, a glimmer of hope came when her husband Twen Tren migrated to the US shortly after they got married to create a better life for them.

But the new bride had to stay behind.

- I wait in my country five year.

I wait until citizenship.

He come back, he bring me here.

(Dan speaking foreign language) - [Dara] It wasn't an easy start for the couple when she arrived with very few clothes during the frosty 1999 winter.

- I say him I sleep in the car three month.

I tell him, "Don't worry, I apply job, I work."

I work 18 hour a day, 20 hour a day.

I work seven day a week every day.

- [Dara] Dan's first job was at another Vietnamese restaurant in town until she was hired at Lang Van by the old owner.

Her bubbly personality was a big hit with customers, which made the owner comfortable handing over the keys in 2005.

- Before she leaving, she hold me to cry a lot.

She ask me, "Stay here, you take care customer well."

- Thank you.

- Thank you.

You enjoy it.

- Okay.

- Thank you.

- [Dara] 20 years later, Dan is doing just that with the roughly 1,500 customers that come in every week.

- She has treated me like I am her only customer.

And it wasn't until 10 years later that I realized she treats everybody that way.

So we're not so special, but she is special.

(upbeat music) - [Dara] Dan's kindness isn't the only thing keeping customers full of joy.

- It's very, very good.

- Very tasty.

- [Dara] The 152 authentic Vietnamese dishes on the menu play a large part too, especially the crowd favorite, pho, which is the Vietnamese national dish.

It's made of broth, noodles, herbs, and a meat like beef or chicken.

They sell around 500 bowls a week.

- This is my first meal I got here, and I've been getting it ever since.

- [Dara] And certain items on the menu hold a special place in Dan's heart.

Like number 88, the catfish soup.

- I remember before grandfather, he cooked for me the younger with the sweet and sour soup, the fruit and vegetables, (indistinct) and tomato and pineapple inside.

Before I leave my country, I'm younger, I remember everything, and right now I keep the catfish soup.

- [Dara] As you might imagine, running a restaurant that's open six days a week requires a solid team.

Dan has 12 employees, including her husband Twen who works on the grill, and her cousin Thao Tran, who's a waitress.

- I love customer over here.

They're very friendly, and they think us like the family, whatever happen in their life.

Like okay, I'm divorced, I'm getting married, I had a baby, they gonna come and tell us all.

- [Dara] The same way the workers at Lang Van support their customers, the favor was returned when the pandemic hit in 2020 and the restaurant began struggling.

A longtime customer created a GoFundMe that raised over $63,000.

- We are grateful for that.

And then after the Covid over, my sister donate whatever the program for some hospital have the cancer support to cancer people.

We don't take that money.

We have to, you know, use that to support the other people.

- South Vietnam, people friendly.

- [Dara] Throughout the restaurant, you'll find remnants of the land Dan once left behind.

- I feel sometime I meet my country.

(upbeat music) - [Dara] But if you take a moment to look at the walls while you're there, you'll see hundreds of reasons why her leap of faith 26 years ago was worth it.

- I love you.

- I love you too.

- [Dara] For "Carolina Impact," I'm Dara Khaalid.

- [Dan] Thank you love.

- Thank you, Dara.

Fun fact, the restaurant doesn't have any social media or even a website.

Dan prefers the old school way of attracting customers, good old word of mouth.

Well, he's a keyboard maestro bringing music to every corner of Charlotte.

A one man music movement.

"Carolina Impact's" Chris Clark takes us inside the life of the man hitting all the right notes.

(bright music) - [Jason Atkins] When people realize that there's a live musician there, then that just a great way to connect.

- [Chris] He's different things to different people.

- One of the best musicians in the city.

- He does it all over there.

- He's amazing.

- [Chris] Part-time teacher, part-time hype man and musician, but a full-time entertainer.

♪ Everybody ♪ - [Chris] Whether he's rocking a crowd of eight.

(upbeat music) Or igniting the energy of 8,000.

It's not really a party until Greazy Keyz shows up.

On top of the world now, but just like AC/DC said.

♪ It's a long way to the top if you wanna rock and roll ♪ - [Chris] Jason's journey was no exception.

And it began in Greenville, South Carolina, with an older brother strumming melodies on a guitar and cousins keeping rhythm on bass and drums, it was only a matter of time before he stepped into the symphony of music himself.

But while the strings called to the others, his path was destined for the Keyz.

- My mom would sometimes sit down and play the old "Heart and Soul."

You know, the lower part.

(bright music) This one day just bored, I sat down at the piano and started to pick it out.

- [Chris] At 11 years old, he couldn't even read sheet music, but he had a gift.

He could listen, feel the melody, and let his fingers bring it to life, which was more than enough.

- We had a little family band.

(upbeat music) So a lot of our weekends were spent jamming everything from like the Rolling Stones, faces, a lot of early classic rock, Allman Brothers, a lot of southern rock, Lynyrd Skynyrd.

- [Chris] As the years passed, his talent blossomed.

At 20, he made the leap to Charlotte, spent his days connecting with musicians as a clerk at Reliable Music, and his nights captivating crowds at local gigs like Smokey Joe's.

Music wasn't just a dream anymore, it was his life.

- That really helped solidify just my name in the Charlotte music community.

And from there, it just continued to kind of snowball.

- Greazy is probably the longest standing member in our open mic night, and he just brings a whole new energy to the room and always like captures everybody's attention with his energy.

- [Chris] The Charlotte Checkers saw that spark and wanted to bring it to their in-game entertainment.

2015, they gave him a shot to be their organist, and he's been the heart of their live music ever since, igniting the crowd whenever the team needs a boost.

- I don't know of another American League team that does feature a live organist.

We actually have a living and breathing organist that can react live to the game and the situation and with the fans.

- [Chris] Especially that last part, Greazy is a PR person's dream.

The Raiders have the Black Hole and Cleveland has the Dog Pound.

But at Bojangles Coliseum , nestled behind the organ setup is a collection of seats affectionately now known as the Greaze Pit.

- We would have season ticket holders who were there every game who would make time to come over, has become, yeah, like a very rowdy sort of extra hype section of the Coliseum.

- It's like a party at a hockey game.

You come for a hockey game and you get a concert.

I don't think it could be any better.

- [Chris] And where did that nickname Greazy Keyz come from?

Well, no wild stories here.

A legend was born not in chaos, but in creativity.

You see, Jason needed something that captured his style, and more importantly, stuck in every inbox.

- GreazyKeyz@yahoo.com was my very first email handle because I didn't want to be JasonAtkins12345@Yahoo.

Just to kind of just set myself apart, just sort of encapsulated my style and my mental approach when playing.

And fans just love to scream it out.

- [Chris] So do the kids.

- [Kids] Let's go Checkers!

- [Chris] Greazy Keyz is a highly requested Checkers team ambassador.

His larger than life personality turns a routine event into a spectacle.

At career day, he leaves kids starry-eyed and the poor souls who have to follow wondering how they're gonna compete with this one man concert.

- It was awesome.

This was a big surprise.

We didn't realize he was coming today, and so having him in the room is really fun.

The kids love it.

- [Chris] And the teachers get into it right along with him.

(upbeat music) Not the only time anyone has an issue, that's the rare occasion he has to miss a night.

He leaves some clown-sized shoes to fill.

I mean, there's lively and then there's Greazy Keyz lively.

- The filling organist came in, no offense to them, they were awesome, but they weren't Greazy Keyz.

It's one thing to have a live organist, but it's another completely another beast to have Greazy Keyz and his personality and all the quirks and the fun that he brings to the position.

- [Chris] Whether it's setting the tone for a Checkers game, getting the cannonballers or nights crowd on their feet, or inspiring the next generation of musicians, he's more than an entertainer.

Greazy Keyz is an experience.

For "Carolina Impact," I'm Chris Clark.

- Thank you, Chris.

Whether he's rallying sports fans, sparking kids' love for music, or leading jam sessions, Greazy Keyz is proof that music brings people together.

Finally tonight, picture this.

You just landed a job interview for your dream position, but your wardrobe is a little outdated and a little out of style.

What do you do?

"Carolina Impact's" Jason Terzis joins us with the story of one organization that has solutions to those very questions.

- Well, it's an organization with a huge international presence, 130 locations in 20 different countries, serving more than 1.3 million women worldwide.

And its Charlotte location is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.

But as I quickly learned, Dress for Success is a whole lot more than just its name.

- Holly, this is Q calling from US Bank in the university area.

My call is not urgent, however, it is important that I do speak with you.

- Marquisha Crosby, known to everyone as Q, makes customer service calls from her office at US Bank.

- Again, that number is 980-376.

It is my absolute passion to be able to help my customers go from not having credit to building credit to purchasing their first home.

So I feel like I get more excited than they do.

- [Jason] Across town, Nakeeta Joe helps people another way, as a Peer Support Specialist for Quality Comprehensive Health Center, - We provide medical, we have mental health, we have management classes.

If I can't find it, it does not exist.

- [Jason] The women help others support their families and are productive members of society.

But it wasn't always this way.

- I was homeless.

I had just graduated from college.

I became homeless, separated from my family.

- I just had my daughter and was told that I had to wait six weeks to go back to work, and that was not gonna cut it.

Being out of work for six weeks meant no pay.

- [Jason] It was during these stressful times when each was introduced to Dress for Success.

- And I went there sad and broken, didn't really feel like being there.

- They were interviewing me, had me come in, tell them about myself, and then tell them what type of position I was looking for, which at that time, I found that I can go into banking.

- [Jason] The women's stories aren't as uncommon as one might think.

- The needs for women aren't changing in our community.

Women continue to face barriers for job security.

They're more likely to live in hourly roles, jobs without benefits.

And so as long as that is true, we have a responsibility to continue to serve women in this community.

- [Jason] So who and what exactly is Dress for Success?

- Dress for Success Charlotte provides pathways to stable living wage jobs for women in our community.

So we support unemployed and underemployed women in finding stable jobs that support the economic needs of herself and for her family.

- [Jason] On the surface, Dress for Success provides clothing free of charge to job-seeking women.

- Clothes are all donated to us, so primarily through individual donations, but we also have some corporate donors that will give us inventory.

- [Jason] At the front end of their South End location, there's a swanky lobby and fitting rooms.

- We call it the Boutique.

- [Jason] And in the back is the operation center, filled with all types of clothes, blazers, pants, suits, dresses, cardigans in every size imaginable.

There's tons of shoes, and all the accessories like purses, necklaces, and personal care items.

- Rather than feeling like she's shopping in consignment and going through racks of clothing, we actually bring her clothes that meet her needs and that she's expressed interest in or that she feels comfortable in.

And we will bring her as many options as she needs to find the right clothing items.

- They gave me a stylist and this stylist went and picked out clothes that I could interchange for free, which was absolutely amazing.

I'd never heard of anybody doing any of these things, and for free?

Oh my gosh, I was so excited.

- [Jason] Each client coming in gets two complete outfits for interviews.

Then once landing a job, can return to get up to another five additional full outfits.

- Yep, clients keep all of those clothes, and they're all no cost to the women who come in.

- I went there, was loved on.

I did not leave out the same way.

I actually landed a job at Autism Learning Center with the clothes that I got from Dress for Success, and I do believe, because I know nothing about autism, so I do believe the suit did the job because I looked very splendid.

- [Jason] While the name Dress for Success is at the center of what they do, clothing is just one part of it.

- But the reality is the clothing and the suiting, that's on the back end.

We need to make sure that we are empowering, edifying, uplifting the woman internally, and then we give the clothes so it matches what she has internally.

So that means that we're making sure that she knows her brand, she understands her value, she understands that where she may have come from doesn't have to dictate where she's going.

- Then I found out that Dress for Success also helps you resume writing, public speaking, financial literacy.

- We provide a full spectrum of workforce development programs, so everything from job readiness and job acquisition to job retention programming.

We also have financial education courses.

We have an entrepreneurship program.

- [Jason] Dress for Success wouldn't be able to provide its services without a few things.

Donations in the forms of clothing and financial contributions, a pipeline to companies, jobs, and job training programs, and of course, volunteers.

- Last year in 2024, we had over 600 volunteers, and they provided more than 39,000 volunteer hours with us.

So we literally would not be able to support women and serve women without the volunteers that we have.

- [Jason] In Charlotte 25 years, and at their current location for 15, Dress for Success is being evicted, along with all the other businesses in the South End Business Park - In 2023, we learned that this business park was sold for redevelopment.

Our next door neighbors just left, a lot of leases are ending, and so our lease is currently scheduled to end at the end of June 2025.

We're really excited to be under contract on a new home that we will be purchasing so that we can continue to invest in women in this community and won't face the uncertainty of being gentrified or moved out due to the pricing demands of the area.

- Okay, so let's talk about the timeline for their move.

- Hoping this summer, we're hoping it's gonna happen here soon.

While they're under contract to move west of Charlotte and to the Wilkinson Boulevard Freedom Drive Corridor of Opportunity, they don't wanna share the specifics just yet because they don't want to jinx it.

They've been under contract on a previous spot and actually had a backup plan in place, but both of those fell through.

So they're moving forward with cautious optimism.

They think this is gonna happen, but they're hoping to have a new home here in the coming months and hopefully by the end of the year.

- Thanks so much for sharing, Jason.

Well, we'd love to hear your amazing story ideas.

Feel free to email the details to stories@wtvi.org.

Well, that's all the time we have this evening.

Thanks so much for joining us.

We always appreciate your time, and look forward to seeing you back here again next time on "Carolina Impact."

Good night, my friends.

(upbeat music) (bright music) - [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.