GOV. EASLEY ANNOUNCES EXPEDITED ASSISTANCE FOR FLOOD VICTIMS

RALEIGH - Gov. Mike Easley announced September 18th that the federal government has granted his request for an expedited disaster declaration for 16 counties in the North Carolina mountains suffering damages from Tropical Depression Ivan.   This is the second time in two weeks that the Governor’s request for federal assistance to aid North Carolina storm victims has been approved.

“The people in these counties were just beginning to dig out from the damage from Frances when Ivan hit,” Easley said.  “Having our requests approved for both storms means we will be able to start getting immediate help for people to make repairs and rebuild.”

The 16 counties that the Federal Emergency Management Agency granted assistance to are Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey.

On September 10, FEMA granted the Governor’s request for an expedited declaration for 15 counties impacted by Tropical Depression Frances.  The 15 counties are Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Transylvania, Watauga and Yancey.

On September 19, FEMA added 15 more counties to the Frances declaration.  They are Alexander, Bladen, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cleveland, Columbus, Cumberland, Gaston, Hoke, Iredell, Lincoln, Mecklenburg, Robeson, Scotland, and Union.

An expedited disaster declaration makes assistance available directly to individuals who have home and other personal property losses.  It also covers the cost of debris removal and emergency response for local governments.

On Friday, Easley declared a state of disaster for all of North Carolina and asked the federal government for the expedited assistance for the 16 counties.

Additional information on flood safety is available at www.nccrimecontrol.org/severeweather.  Flood recovery information is available at www.dhhs.state.nc.us/docs/hurricane.htm.  Specific road condition information is available at www.ncsmartlink.org or by calling 511.  A fact sheet on landslides is available on DENR’s web site at http://www.enr.state.nc.us/html/hurricane.html.