Hurricane Florence
ReBuild NC must increase pace of home completions or risk losing federal disaster funding
ReBuild NC’s homeowner recovery program has finished only 25% of the houses damaged by Hurricane Matthews and Florence, a pace that, if uncorrected, could jeopardize its federal funding. Roughly 4,700 applicants have been approved for new or rehabbed homes, state data show. Of those, just 1,118 are finished. Robeson County’s program accounts for 201 of those […]
Senate bill targets ReBuild NC to get disaster relief program on track
Displaced Hurricane survivors could return home more quickly if a new Senate bill aimed at ReBuild NC becomes law. Under Senate Bill 438, the state’s most vulnerable homeowners would get priority under ReBuild NC’s disaster relief program for the reconstruction or rehabs of their storm-damaged homes: People over age 62 Low-income families Families with children […]
Despite signs of progress in hurricane recovery, ReBuild NC continues to struggle
Leoni entered this world on Jan. 23, a daughter of Donnie Red Hawk McDowell and his wife, Humming Bird, hurricane survivors and members of the Tuscarora Nation. In March, Leoni, her 3-year-old sister, Dyani, and their parents moved to a room on the second floor of an Extended Stay America in Fayetteville while their new mobile home was installed near Maxton.
After intense public scrutiny about hurricane disaster response, Ivan Duncan, a top official at ReBuild NC, is resigning
Ivan Duncan, whose tenure as chief program delivery officer with ReBuild NC has come under increased scrutiny, is resigning, sources told Policy Watch. A ReBuild NC spokesperson confirmed to Policy Watch that “Mr. Duncan has given notice that he intends to pursue a new opportunity and will be leaving his position. NCORR relayed this information […]
In presentation to legislative oversight committee ReBuild NC inflated number of homes it built under hurricane disaster recovery program
Laura Hogshead, director of the NC Office of Recovery and Resiliency, recently testified under oath before a legislative subcommittee that only 789 of 4,100 homes destroyed or damaged by Hurricane Matthew or Florence have been rebuilt or repaired. The actual number is significantly lower – just 588. NCORR, also known as ReBuild NC, included in […]
508 years: The cumulative amount of time hurricane survivors have been displaced from their homes
ReBuild NC also revises -- upward -- expenditures on motels, other temporary housing for hurricane survivors 508 years or 185,522 days: That’s the total amount of time spent displaced for the 1,774 households receiving temporary relocation assistance from ReBuild NC’s homeowner disaster relief program ReBuild NC, whose formal name is the NC Office of Recovery and Resiliency, sent the information to Policy Watch, which requested the figures under public records law.
Legislative committee on hurricane recovery to meet Sept. 14 to probe reasons behind massive disaster relief delays
Thousands of survivors of Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence remain out of their homes — some for nearly three years — prompting lawmakers to investigate why disaster relief has been so delayed. The first meeting of the Subcommittee on Hurricane Response and Recovery will meet next month. Although the format has not yet been announced, […]
State audit blasts Department of Public Safety’s handling of Hurricane Florence disaster recovery funds
The Department of Public Safety failed to adequately monitor a half billion dollars in disaster recovery funds, according to a state auditor’s report, and distributed another $783 million without a method to determine if the projects were successful. Mike Sprayberry, a holdover from the Gov. Pat McCrory administration, served as director of the State Emergency […]
State audit finds ‘significant mistakes’ with Department of Public Instruction’s financial statement
A state audit found “significant mistakes and omissions” in the N.C. Department of Public Instruction’s 2019 financial statement, including one error that led the agency to overstate the payable claims balance in its Public School Insurance Fund’s by $23 million. “This audit report shows that they have done some fundamental things incorrectly,” State Auditor Beth Wood said in an interview Thursday. DPI Chief Financial Officer Barbara Roper resigned after the […]
House committee OKs $100m for Hurricane Florence relief; Dorian price tag still unknown
The House Appropriations Committee approved a major disaster relief bill today that includes $5 million for the state to recover from “future events,” but the top emergency management official said that amount won’t be enough. “It’s a placeholder,” said Mike Sprayberry, director of the Division of Emergency Management. “It’s an estimate to take action now.” […]
After coastal towns complain about Resource Institute, lawmakers could rescind its $5 million windfall
[Update: On Tuesday afternoon the Senate passed this bill, the bulk of which deals with veterans’ memorial funds, but includes language to revoke funding for the Resource Institute beach projects. The measure now goes to Gov. Roy Cooper.] One year you have $5 million, the next year — poof — it’s gone. Funding for the […]
Factchecking Rep. Jimmy Dixon on water contamination (spoiler alert: he wasn’t spot on)
Rarely one to let the truth get in the way of a snappy quip, Rep. Jimmy Dixon is 0 for 1 in the factchecking department today. During this morning’s meeting of the Joint Appropriations Committee on Agriculture and Natural and Economic Resources, Rep. Dixon responded to a question from newly elected Sen. Harper Peterson about […]