As catastrophic effects from Hurricane Florence persist, Governor Cooper today asked President Donald Trump to cover 100% of initial disaster response costs for North Carolina. Typically, 75% of these costs are covered by FEMA with the remaining 25% paid by the state.
“North Carolinians are a resilient people, but the recovery from this storm will take years and will require continued assistance from our federal partners as we rebuild our state following two major hurricanes in the same area of our state in two years,” Gov. Cooper wrote in the letter.
So far, Hurricane Florence has claimed 31 lives in North Carolina. Nearly 5,000 people have been rescued by first responders thus far, and with several rivers at major flood stage, rescue efforts remain ongoing. Flooding from the storm has devastated farms in eastern North Carolina and has dealt massive blow to North Carolina’s infrastructure, rendering hundreds of roads impassable and closing portions of Interstates 40 and 95.
Local, state and federal partners are engaged in ongoing recovery efforts to help those affected by the disaster. More than 61,000 storm survivors have registered for FEMA assistance and many are already receiving funds. Anyone with a home damaged by Florence in any county is encouraged to begin the FEMA registration process by calling 1-800-621-FEMA or visiting disasterassistance.gov.
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