LUMBERTON, SC (WBTW) – Governor Pat McCrory made a federal request for $1 billion dollars to help with recovery efforts after Hurricane Matthew.
In a press release McCrory stated early damage estimates is expected to cost more than $2 billion dollars.
The North Carolina Governor Chief of Staff Thomas Stith and other state leaders met with citizens Tuesday afternoon at Robeson Community College.
Stith says the meeting held Tuesday is one in a series of five regional meetings across the state.
He says two separate state committees are meeting to recommend additional recovery assistance programs for people with unmet needs.
In a press release Governor Pat McCrory stated the flood damaged 30,000 businesses, caused more than $450 million dollars in crop loss and displaced more than 3,000 people – 2,000 from Robeson County.
Chief of Staff Thomas Stith says the money Governor Pat McCrory requested would be used to build rental housing for displaced families, help improve wastewater and utilities, fix roads and dams, and offer grants and loans to small businesses.
“You have your federal funding that will cover some of your needs that but that literally is called unmet needs so we developed a package for federal unmet needs and then given what we anticipate from the federal government we would develop in early December a relief request for our state legislative,” said Stith.
Stith says the state has $1.5 million dollars in supplemental aid.
The Governor’s Office will meet for the special North Carolina legislative session in December.
To give to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund for Hurricane Matthew, text NCRECOVERS to 30306, visit ncdisasterrelief.org or send a check or money order to North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, Office of the Governor, 20312 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, N.C. 27699-0312