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President Trump approves North Carolina disaster declaration

Posted at 8:16 AM, Sep 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-15 08:17:09-04

President Donald Trump declared Friday that a major disaster exists in the State of North Carolina and ordered Federal aid to supplement State, Tribal and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by Hurricane Florence.

The President’s action makes Federal funding available to affected individuals in the counties of Bladen, Columbus,
Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Lenoir, Jones, Robeson, Sampson, and Wayne. Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Some counties have been added to the list throughout the week due to flooding and continued impact of Florence, according to North Carolina officials.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Brock Long, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Albert Lewis as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas. 

Damage assessments are continuing in other areas, and more counties and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments are fully completed.

Residents and business owners who sustained losses in the designated counties can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at http://www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA(3362) or 1-800-462-7585 (TTY) for the hearing and speech impaired. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.