RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – Gov. Roy Cooper presided over the Council of State meeting on Tuesday morning.
The topic of conversation was the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
Here are some takeaways from the meeting:
- The North Carolina Attorney General’s Office has taken more than 700 price gouging complaints since Hurricane Florence hit the state. On Sept. 28 they filed suit against a tree trimming company for predatory bait and switch practices.
- Two fire departments in Duplin County flooded during the hurricane. One near Wallace had 19 firefighters on the roster and 15 of them lost their homes.
- State properties had $100 million in damage during Hurricane Florence. UNC-Wilmington had $75 million in damage alone.
- Eighty-percent of North Carolina students missed school because of Florence. Many schools are still not open and estimates show that schools sustained three times the damage that they did during Hurricane Matthew in 2016.
- While there is a special session in the General Assembly today, it will be largely procedural. It’s expected that a larger Hurricane Florence recovery plan to be unveiled on Oct. 9.
- There has been $2.8 billion in agriculture receipts lost in the aftermath of Florence. Farmers have lost homes and buildings, but there has been no loss of life among farmers. Without state and federal resources, many rural communities won’t be able to rebuild, said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.
- Cooper said the amount of cooperation has been remarkable and that this level of cooperation needs to be sustained as the General Assembly heads into the short and long session. Cooper added that it’s hard to believe 28 counties are disaster areas.
- Cooper said Florence put a spotlight on the need for affordable housing. There are people now who lost everything and have nowhere to go.