Officials with ReBuild NC are reminding people to submit feedback on the state’s draft action plan for spending $542 million in federal disaster recovery funding provided to North Carolina through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Community Development Block Grant-Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program for Hurricane Florence. The draft Hurricane Florence Action Plan includes detailed information on how the state will implement federal recovery programs throughout areas impacted by the storm.
The draft action plan is available for review on the Rebuild NC website at: https://www.rebuild.nc.gov/reporting-and-compliance/action-plans. Printed copies of the draft plan are also available by calling 984-833-5361. Public comments should be sent by email to publiccomments@rebuild.nc.gov or by U.S. Postal Service mail to Attn: Florence Comments, P.O. Box 110465, Durham, NC 27709. Comments on the draft action plan must be received or postmarked no later than March 8.
Congress appropriated the HUD recovery funds soon after Hurricane Florence hit in October 2018. However, the Federal Register notice providing rules for use of the funds was not published until exactly 500 days after the storm. Under federal regulations, North Carolina could not move forward with finalizing the draft action plan without information provided in that notice. Following the current comment period and approval of the action plan by HUD, the state can begin using the funds to implement Hurricane Florence recovery programs.
ReBuild NC is the state’s long-term disaster recovery agency administered by the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, or NCORR. Governor Cooper established NCORR in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence to streamline disaster recovery programs statewide and help North Carolina communities rebuild smarter and stronger. In addition to assisting hurricane survivors with home repairs and reconstruction, NCORR administers programs that include affordable housing, mitigation, buyout, local government grants and loans, and resiliency.
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