Three more North Carolina counties affected by Hurricane Florence are now eligible to apply for federal assistance to help pay for the cost of debris removal, emergency protective measures and permanent repair work to damaged infrastructure.
FEMA announced that state and local government agencies in Bertie, Davidson and Orange counties may be eligible for grants under FEMA’s Public Assistance program, which reimburses governments for the cost of responding to a disaster (Categories A & B) and repairing or replacing damaged or destroyed infrastructure (Categories C-G).
Pitt County, previously eligible for Categories A & B, is now eligible for all categories of Public Assistance.
“This is more welcome news as North Carolina works to clean up and rebuild from Hurricane Florence,” said Gov. Roy Cooper. “Local governments poured significant resources into responding to the storm, and many also face damage to critical public infrastructure. Getting access to this help is key to these communities' recovery.”
The following 40 counties were previously designated as eligible to apply for all categories of Public Assistance: Alleghany, Anson, Ashe, Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Cabarrus, Carteret, Chatham, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Dare, Duplin, Granville, Greene, Harnett, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Montgomery, Moore, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Person, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Sampson, Scotland, Stanly, Union, Wayne, Wilson and Yancey.
“When Public Assistance dollars go to governments and nonprofits after a disaster, they benefit everyone in a community,” said Federal Coordinating Officer Albie Lewis, who is in charge of FEMA’s operations in North Carolina. “The money helps protect people and property, clean up neighborhoods, haul away disaster debris, put utilities back in order, and repair roads and bridges that people use every day.”
Through the Public Assistance program, FEMA provides supplemental federal grants for debris removal, life-saving emergency protective measures and the repair, replacement or restoration of disaster-damaged publicly owned facilities and the facilities of certain private nonprofit organizations.
The Public Assistance program also encourages protection of these damaged facilities from future events by providing assistance for hazard mitigation measures during the recovery process.
The federal share of assistance is not less than 75 percent of the eligible cost.
For additional information on the Public Assistance process, please visit FEMA.gov/public-assistance.
For more information on North Carolina’s recovery from Hurricane Florence, visit ncdps.gov/Florence and FEMA.gov/Disaster/4393. Follow us on Twitter: @NCEmergency and @FEMARegion4.
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