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Gov. Perdue, Commissioner Troxler survey hurricane damage with Secretaries Napalitano and Vilsack
Story Date: 8/31/2011
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Source: PRESS RELEASE, 8/30/11
Gov. Bev Perdue and state Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler today joined U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack to survey damage caused by Hurricane Irene last weekend.
“So many families and businesses have been devastated by this storm,” Perdue said. “Secretary Napolitano and Secretary Vilsack visited today to show that our federal partners are here to help, and I have urged them to expedite their assistance to our communities and our farmers.”
Preliminary county assessments indicate more than $70 million in damages to North Carolina alone.
On Monday, the governor requested a federal disaster declaration for Beaufort, Carteret, Craven, Dare, Hyde, Pamlico and Tyrrell counties; more counties may be added later. Local, state and federal emergency management teams have been out in the communities assessing damages to homes and businesses. Emergency management officials expect to have more complete damage estimates by the end of the week. A federal disaster declaration would clear the way for low-interest federal loans and other assistance programs to help hurricane survivors recover from the storm.
President Obama issued a federal emergency declaration for 34 counties over the weekend approving them for federal financial assistance to help cover the costs of emergency protective measures for local governments. Those counties include: Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Currituck, Dare, Duplin, Edgecombe, Halifax, Hyde, Gates, Greene, Hertford, Johnston, Jones, Lenoir, Martin, New Hanover, Nash, Northampton, Onslow, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Pitt, Tyrrell, Wayne, Washington and Wilson.
Help is already available for small and mid-size business owners impacted by Hurricane Irene. The Small Business and Technology Development Center is available to help business owners: 1) assess the financial impact on their business; 2) reconstruct financial statements; 3) evaluate options with creditors; and 4) if a federal disaster declaration is approved, prepare U.S. Small Business Administration disaster loan applications. For more information, call the N.C. Department of Commerce Business Link at 1-800-228-8443.
Seven North Carolinians died as a result of Hurricane Irene; the latest count includes a drowning in New Hanover County. Swift water team rescues conducted more than 100 rescue operations throughout the east.
Thirteen shelters are still open, housing nearly 600 occupants. More than 135,000 homes and businesses remain without power, down from 660,000 outages at the height of the storm.
Nearly all the beaches and coastal communities have been reopened and are ready to accept visitors for the busy Labor Day weekend. However, evacuations are still in effect for Hatteras Island, including the towns of Rodanthe, Waves, Salvo, Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras. Hyde County, including Ocracoke Island, is open to residents only but hopes to open to visitors soon.
Nearly 2,000 transportation crews have been working throughout the storm to reopen blocked roads and bridges. Most of the primary and secondary roads are now reopened, except for N.C. 12 below Rodanthe which remains closed. The governor has ordered the N.C. Department of Transportation to look at short-term solutions to get traffic flowing on N.C. 12 in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, there is still flooding on a few secondary roads in Bertie, Craven and Hertford counties and several roads across the southeast have areas blocked by downed power lines as utility crews work to restore power. For the latest road conditions call 511, visit www.ncdot.gov/travel, follow @NCDOT on Twitter or get the NCDOT Mobile, application for your smart phone (m.ncdot.gov).
Ferry service is running on its regular schedule from Southport to Fort Fisher, Cherry Branch to Minnesott Beach, and Currituck to Knotts Island. There is limited ferry service for Ocracoke residents on the Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes. Other ferry routes are being used for emergency response and relief. Passenger train service has resumed between Raleigh and Charlotte and interstate rail service will resume Wednesday on a limited basis. Freight rail service east of Interstate 95 and north of U.S. 70 is expected to resume Friday.
Gov. Perdue set up a fund to provide financial assistance for hurricane survivors. The N.C. Disaster Relief Fund will accept monetary donations and is managed by the governor’s office in partnership with the United Way of North Carolina. Donations are tax deductible and 100 percent of donated funds will go to survivors. To donate or get information about the fund, please go to: www.ncdisasterrelief.org. Donations also may be made to other reputable non-profit agencies and faith-based organizations that respond to disasters.
Emergency management officials recommended cash contributions over donated goods because it provides local officials with more flexibility to meet the precise needs of the storm survivors and also helps the local economy recover.
The governor’s toll-free emergency information bilingual hotline is staffed from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. providing callers with information on what to do to begin recovering from the storm. English and Spanish-speaking people should call 1-888-835-9966. Deaf and hard-of-hearing people may call 711 (Relay N.C.)
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