RELEASE:
Rep. Meadows Joins NC Delegation in Request for Expedited Assistance
Washington, D.C. – Today, in response to Hurricane Florence, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) joined the entire North Carolina Congressional delegation in a letter requesting expedited Major Disaster Declaration for the State of North Carolina. The request comes under Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act.
“This is an incredibly dangerous storm that has the potential to affect the entire state,” Rep. Meadows said. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in the North Carolina delegation requesting expedited assistance so we can ensure appropriate preparations are mobilized to help get North Carolinians the immediate assistance they need. So far, the work and response from federal, state, and local officials has been absolutely tremendous, and I fully believe it will be no different in the coming days and weeks ahead as we recover.”
The full text of the letter is below:
Dear Mr. President,
As Members of Congress representing the people of North Carolina, we write in support of Governor Cooper's request for an expedited Major Disaster Declaration for the State of North Carolina under Section 401 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act for events occurring since September 14, 2018, and which are still occurring.
The expedited Major Disaster Declaration is for both individual assistance and public assistance, including direct federal assistance for counties across North Carolina. Hurricane Florence has only begun to make landfall and has already inflicted tremendous damage across North Carolina’s coastal counties. The severity of damage and number of areas impacted is rapidly increasing and is forecast to worsen drastically in the coming days. Accordingly, we sincerely appreciate your timely consideration of this expedited Major Disaster Declaration request.
Currently 76 counties have declared local states of emergency, 22 counties are under a hurricane warning with an additional 23 counties under tropical storm warnings. Due to evacuations, the state has already opened 131 shelters, housing over 6,900 residents. Additionally, 2,800 National Guardsmen have been activated and numerous search/rescue and high water rescue teams have been deployed. Although the totality of devastation will continue to unfold, it is imperative that North Carolina has the resources now to begin the recovery process. We thank you for granting our advanced emergency declaration request on September 10, 2018, and we commend your administration for its diligence and assistance thus far.
We again respectfully request you approve this Major Disaster Declaration consistent with the intended purposes of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Stafford Act to allow our local and state officials, in coordination with federal partners, to begin rebuilding our great state.
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