Governor Cooper Helps Windsor Recover from 2016 Hurricane | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper today issued a state disaster declaration to help the town of Windsor recover from damages caused by Tropical Storm Julia last September. The declaration makes state funds available to help cover the costs of removing debris, providing emergency protective services and repairing local roads and bridges.

    "Bertie County was still recovering from Tropical Storm Julia when Hurricane Matthew came through," Governor Cooper said. "The people of Windsor have endured a tremendous amount of hardship and they need our help recovering."

    The town was still cleaning up and assessing damages from Tropical Storm Julia when the second storm hit, making it difficult to assess and attribute the damages to a particular event. State and local officials have been working closely together since last fall to capture all of the storm-related costs to determine if the city would meet the threshold to qualify for state assistance. Final costs were submitted to the governor earlier this month.

    The remnants of Tropical Storm Julia blew across northeastern North Carolina September 21 and 22 dumping 10 to 17 inches of rain and causing major flooding that prompted road closures, motor vehicle crashes and school closings in 11 counties.

    Federal financial aid in the form of low-interest loans was made available last October to help individuals, families and small businesses recover from the storm. The level of damage did not meet the threshold for financial assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

    The state declaration means state funds will help pay the city of Windsor for 75 percent of the cost of those emergency protective measures. Estimates indicate the city spent nearly $89,000 to respond to the storm, clear debris and repair roads and bridges.

• Contact: Ford Porter
•     govpress@nc.gov