NC gets an F for disaster recovery efforts | Eastern North Carolina Now

WRAL-TV is reporting:

The person who oversees North Carolina’s rebuilding efforts after hurricanes Matthew and Florence is no longer employed by the state.

Laura Hogshead is no longer employed by the North Carolina Department of Public Safety in her role as the director of recovery and resiliency for ReBuild NC, the department’s chief communications officer Jody Donaldson announced Wednesday.

Donaldson said Pryor Gibson is serving as interim director of the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency.

"Together in the House and Senate we have tried to hold [ReBuild NC’s] feet to the fire for their failures,” said State Sen. Danny Britt, R-Hoke, Robeson and Scotland counties.

Britt said he felt that ReBuild NC's "inaction" was "shameful."

Hogshead had held the position since late 2018. Her page was taken off the state's website.

"Hogshead oversees the expenditure of hurricane recovery funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for areas hit by hurricanes Matthew and Florence," the site read before the page was taken down. "Hogshead also oversees the expenditure of U.S. Department of Treasury Coronavirus Relief Fund and Emergency Rental Assistance allocations through the state’s pandemic-related emergency rental assistance program."

NC disaster recovery agency failures: How did we get here?

On Monday, Hogshead faced tough questions from lawmakers during an Oversight Committee meeting on Monday. Her leadership and the program's slow progress have drawn criticism for years.

WRAL's Documentary Unit has extensively covered the program's struggles in "Aftermath: North Carolina hurricane victims left behind."

Hurricanes Matthew (2016) and Florence (2018) left thousands of low-income North Carolinians homeless. ReBuild NC was tasked with using nearly $800 million in taxpayer funds to help these uninsured residents rebuild their homes.

Hogshead had previously acknowledged the program's failures.

“These are my decisions, my staffing decisions, my policy decisions—and that is on me,” Hogshead said during a 2023 legislation hearing.

Despite the criticism, Hogshead had resisted calls to resign, insisting she is the best person to lead the program.

Gov. Roy Cooper has also admitted the program’s pace has been unacceptable, calling for faster progress. However, Cooper has not removed Hogshead, a decision Republican lawmakers have repeatedly criticized.