© 2024 WFAE
90.7 Charlotte 93.7 Southern Pines 90.3 Hickory 106.1 Laurinburg
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

NC Governor Cooper Seeking Disaster Declaration For Fred's Flooding

Gov. Roy Cooper asked President Joe Biden on Friday to issue a federal disaster declaration for North Carolina after last week's major flooding and landslides in the mountains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred.

Cooper wrote the Federal Emergency Management Agency requesting financial help for individuals, governments or nonprofits in up to seven western counties.

Torrential rains — with reports of over 20 inches of rain in some areas — and their aftermath led to at least five deaths. Infrastructure damages are estimated to exceed $20 million alone across the region, Cooper's office said.

“The people of Western North Carolina took a devastating blow from Tropical Storm Fred’s flooding,” Cooper said in a news release. “Federal assistance is needed to help rebuild and become more resilient ahead of future storms.”

The governor's declaration request seeks individual financial help for homeowners and renters in Buncombe, Haywood and Transylvania counties. He's also looking for expense reimbursements for repairs to public facilities and infrastructure in Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, Transylvania, Yancey and Watauga counties.

Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter

Select Your Email Format

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.