On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, Governor Roy Cooper and President Joe Biden took an aerial tour of areas damaged by Hurricane Helene before holding a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center on the impact of the storm.
During the briefing, President Biden announced the approval of 100% FEMA Reimbursement for six months, a significant funding commitment from the federal government. The briefing was attended by President Biden, United States Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, United States EPA Administrator Michael Regan, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, and other top state and federal officials.
Prior to the visit, President Biden approved Governor Cooper’s request for active-duty military personnel and equipment to support ongoing operations in Western North Carolina. The active-duty military personnel are in addition to more than 1,000 North Carolina National Guard soldiers currently deployed who are providing food, water, supplies and conducting search and rescue operations. The NC National Guard has already performed more than 1,400 rescues and delivered more than 700,000 pounds in supplies.
“The damage caused by Hurricane Helene to Western North Carolina is immense, and we are continuing our unprecedented efforts to surge resources into affected communities,” said Governor Cooper. “We’re grateful to President Biden, FEMA and all of our federal partners for their support and commitment to helping our state respond, recover and rebuild from this disaster.”
State, federal and local partners continue to work together to surge resources into Western North Carolina in response to unprecedented damage from Hurricane Helene across the region. Throughout the week, Governor Roy Cooper has traveled to Western North Carolina to assess storm response, meet with those affected and thank volunteers for their hard work.
Food, Water, and…
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