Contact: Patty McQuillan
Date: June 3, 2005
Phone: (919) 733-5027 x232

Gov. Easley Announces that Calls, Applications Surge as Operation Brighter Day Deadline Nears

Nearly 3,000 Applicatons Have Been Filed for Disaster Assistance Statewide Since Program Began

RALEIGH - Gov. Mike Easley today announced that calls to the Governor's Bilingual Hurricane Recovery Hotline surged this week as 2004 storm victims filed for individual assistance programs and others sought updates on previously filed applications.

"The Operation Brighter Day programs will bring aid to many hurricane victims," Easley said. "We have added staff to meet the increase in demand and we are working hard to get these applications processed.  We want to get this aid in the hands of victims as quickly as possible."

A flyer encouraging storm victims in the 50 disaster-declared counties to apply for aid before the June 17 deadline was mailed last week to more than 22,000 persons who previously applied for Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) aid. Additional correspondence has been sent to all Operation Brighter Day applicants regarding the status of aid programs in the categories of damage to a primary residence, damage to private-access bridges and driveways, and agricultural loss.

Hurricane victims can submit one application to cover all available individual assistance programs at Recovery Application Centers (RACs), which are located in N.C. Cooperative Extension Service centers in each of the 50 disaster-declared counties covered  by the Hurricane Recovery Act of 2005.

So far, nearly 3,000 applications for individual assistance have been filed at RACs or by calling the Governor's Hurricane Recovery Bilingual Hotline toll free at 1-888-835-9966 (TTY, 1-877-452-2514).

Between April 22 and close of day Thursday, 2,973 applications had been received from people living in the 50 disaster-declared counties. This includes 1,184 requests for housing damage, 904 for damage to private driveways and bridges, and 885 for agricultural loss.

For a county-by-county breakdown of the number and type of applications filed, visit www.OperationBrighterDay.org. Contact information for local RACs can be found online at www.ces.ncsu.edu/counties. Applications also may be filed by calling the Governor's Hurricane Recovery Bilingual Hotline between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.