The Trump administration rejected 99 percent of the aid the state of North Carolina requested for costs it accrued relating to Hurricane Matthew, Governor Roy Cooper announced Wednesday (May 10).
The hurricane hit the Southeast October 7 and left several states, but North Carolina in particular, suffering. Thirty-four people died in the U.S. In Haiti, where the storm struck hardest, at least 546 people died—but potentially it was as high as 877, as Reuters initially reported. It fluctuated between a Category 3 and Category 4 storm, which means its wind speeds were hovering between 111 and 156 miles per hour.
Now, more than seven months later, the governor is left with “shock and disappointment,” as expressed in his letter to the administration, by President Donald Trump’s decision not to give further aid. The money was supposed to help rebuild public housing, homes, businesses and further needed recovery.
Cooper states, in the letter:
North Carolina is steadily recovering, but too many people still can’t go back to their homes or return to offices, schools, farms or places of worship due to water damage, debris, mildew and road closures.
Colorlines breaks down what the situation currently looks like in North Carolina—by the numbers.
$929,403,389
How much the state requested from Congress
$6,100,000
How much money from the federal government the state received
$198,000,000+
How much the state has already received in federal assistance
$92,600,000
Funds needed just to cover farmers’ losses not covered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture like livestock, farm equipment and feed
$15,200,000
Funds needed to repair public housing
$7,000,000
Amount needed to clean up the town of Lumberton, which has a large Black and Native American presence
3,962
Number of properties that flooded and need funding for buyout, elevation and reconstruction
140
Number of families still living in hotels
82,000
Number of households registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency for help