Gov. Roy Cooper asked President Joe Biden on Friday to issue a federal disaster declaration for North Carolina after last week's major flooding and landslides in the mountains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred.
Cooper wrote the Federal Emergency Management Agency requesting financial help for individuals, governments or nonprofits in up to seven western counties.
Torrential rains — with reports of over 20 inches of rain in some areas — and their aftermath led to at least five deaths. Infrastructure damages are estimated to exceed $20 million alone across the region, Cooper's office said.
“The people of Western North Carolina took a devastating blow from Tropical Storm Fred’s flooding,” Cooper said in a news release. “Federal assistance is needed to help rebuild and become more resilient ahead of future storms.”
The governor's declaration request seeks individual financial help for homeowners and renters in Buncombe, Haywood and Transylvania counties. He's also looking for expense reimbursements for repairs to public facilities and infrastructure in Avery, Buncombe, Haywood, Madison, Transylvania, Yancey and Watauga counties.