County declares State of Emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Debby

Moore County residents who sustained property damage due to Hurricane Florence can now  apply for disaster assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Governor Roy Cooper’s request for major federal disaster assistance was approved Monday to help individuals and communities in nine additional counties recover from Hurricane Florence.

Individuals in Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Lee, Moore, Pitt, Richmond, Scotland and Wilson counties are now able to apply for disaster assistance for uninsured and underinsured damage and losses resulting from Hurricane Florence.

With the addition of these nine counties, 27 counties have now been approved for federal assistance. As of Monday, approximately 80,000 people have registered for disaster assistance and more than $ 26 million in federal disaster assistance has been approved for individuals and families.

In addition to the nine counties added Monday, 18 North Carolina counties were previously designated for federal disaster assistance: Beaufort, Bladen, Brunswick, Carteret, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Duplin, Harnett, Lenoir, Jones, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, Robeson, Sampson, and Wayne.

Additional counties are under consideration with FEMA to be added to the list of included counties.

Anyone with a home damaged by Florence in any county is encouraged to begin the FEMA registration process by calling 1-800-621-FEMA to register via telephone or by visiting disasterassistance.gov to register online.

If you have a homeowner’s or flood insurance policy, file your insurance claim immediately before applying for disaster assistance.

Do not wait to begin your cleanup and repairs. Take photos of all damage and save all receipts.

FEMA’s disaster assistance programs are designed to help with grants for basic repairs to make survivors’ homes safe, sanitary and secure and to provide a temporary place to live while survivors develop their recovery plans.

Additional Information Resources
The statewide NC 211 information line can provide callers with housing, recovery and other storm-related details. Dial 2-1-1 or 888-892-1162, or text FLORENCE to 898211.

The information line is staffed around the clock to connect North Carolinians to storm resources. Other resources can be obtained by visiting ncdps.gov/florence or following NC Emergency Management on Facebook and Twitter.