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Trump Approves Disaster Declaration For NC Areas Hit By Dorian

The eye of Hurricane Dorian
Cayobo
/
Wikimedia Commons / Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
A close-up view of the eye of Hurricane Dorian.

RALEIGH, N.C.  — President Donald Trump has approved a request from North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper for public assistance for 14 counties affected by Hurricane Dorian.

The major disaster declaration, approved Friday, allows impacted counties to receive support from FEMA's public assistance program, providing reimbursement to local governments for costs of debris removal and other services. The impacted counties are Brunswick, Carteret, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Hyde, Jones, New Hanover, Pamlico, Pender, Sampson, Tyrrell, and Washington.

“North Carolina’s coastal communities – particularly Ocracoke and those on the Outer Banks – were hit hard by Hurricane Dorian and it’s critical that they have access to FEMA Public Assistance and the federal resources necessary to recover," Cooper said in a statement. "This is a positive step and we continue to urge our federal partners and North Carolina’s congressional delegation to work to expedite approval of our request for individual assistance for families whose homes were destroyed as well.” 

Cooper also requested individual assistance. If approved, that would provide grants to residents who suffered damages from Dorian, and could open the way to additional FEMA recovery programs, like temporary housing.

The individual assistance request remains under review. State officials have urged federal agencies and North Carolina's congressional delegation to help expedite federal approval.

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