Governor Cooper Urges North Carolinians to Apply with FEMA Right Away
The deadline for North Carolinians who suffered damage during Hurricane Florence to apply for federal help has now been extended to December 19, Governor Roy Cooper announced today.
Gov. Cooper requested the extension to give North Carolinians more time to take the critical step of applying for assistance through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Recovery efforts in North Carolina following Hurricane Florence continue to progress, with now more than $1 billion in state and federal resources approved for people in the state.
The first step in applying for assistance is to register with FEMA. The deadline to register has been extended to December 19, at 11:59 p.m.
“We want to make sure that our hurricane survivors get the help they need to get their lives back on track,” Gov. Cooper said. “I urge anyone impacted by Hurricane Florence to register with FEMA right away.”
The governor continues to visit communities hit hard by the storm to understand the extent of the impact and monitor recovery efforts closely. Today, Governor Cooper visited Pender County to check on recovery progress in that area.
Gov. Cooper also continues to push for additional federal and state resources to help communities and families recover from Hurricane Florence, including working with the state’s congressional delegation to request $8.8 billion in federal funds to help with housing, farms, businesses, roads and more.
Individuals and businesses with uninsured losses can register with FEMA in several ways:
• Call the disaster assistance helpline at 800-621-3362 or 800-462-7585 (TTY) from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Multilingual operators are available.
• Go online to DisasterAssistance.gov.
• Download the FEMA mobile app.
• Visit a Disaster Recovery Center. To find center locations and hours, go online to FEMA.gov/DRC, or download the FEMA mobile app or the ReadyNC app.
People who register with FEMA may be eligible for a number of assistance programs:
• Individual Assistance – Helps pay for losses not covered by insurance for things like basic repairs, rental assistance and replacing personal property.
• Housing Help - Includes temporary housing in hotels, apartments, travel trailers and manufactured housing.
• Low Interest Loans - The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) offers low interest loans to homeowners, renters and businesses.
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.