Eleven towns, cities and counties working to recover from Hurricane Florence have been awarded more than $16.5 million in grants and no-interest loans, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. This brings to $24.5 million the total provided through state-funded grant and loan programs launched to assist local governments that are struggling financially due to storm impacts.  

 

“Communities are working hard to rebuild and many need financial help to get through this difficult time,” Gov. Cooper said. “These funds are available to towns, cities and counties so they can continue to meet the needs of their residents as they recover from Hurricane Florence.”

 

The grants and loans are available to local governments through the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency (NCORR).

 

Grants of up to $1 million are available to eligible local governments to provide short-term assistance with everyday operating expenses, such as general payroll, certain non-disaster-related vendor payments, and debt service. Grant funds can also be used to provide additional capacity for disaster recovery by funding up to two time-limited positions, contracting for disaster recovery services, and purchasing a vehicle.

 

Eligible local governments can also apply for no-interest loans of up to $2 million to assist with covering disaster-related expenses while waiting for reimbursement from various federal disaster response, recovery, and resiliency programs. Approved local governments would repay the loan principal amount upon receipt of federal reimbursement.

 

Both programs are ongoing and use funds from the State Disaster Recovery Act. There is no deadline for applications, but NCORR will stop taking applications once all funds are awarded.

 

Today’s announcement includes grants and loans to the following towns, cities and counties to help with operating costs and recovery expenses:

 

Grants

Atlantic Beach: $500,000

Boardman: $200,000

Jones County: $1 million

Maysville: $450,000

Lumberton: $500,000

Bladenboro: $500,000

Emerald Isle: $370,000

Trenton: $405,000

Elizabethtown: $500,000

 

Loans

Boardman: $130,000

Boiling Spring Lakes: $2 million

Jones County: $2 million

Pamlico County: $2 million

Lumberton: $2 million

Emerald Isle: $2 million

Elizabethtown: $2 million