North Carolina Gov. Declares Disaster in Bertie and Onslow Counties

Gov. Mike Easley declared Bertie and Onslow Counties state disaster areas, making residents and businesses in those counties eligible for state disaster assistance to help with repairs from the storms and tornadoes that hit the state on May 11.

Easley also announced that the federal Small Business Administration has approved his request for a disaster declaration, making residents and businesses eligible for low-interest federal loans.

“The state grants combined with the low-interest federal loans will help people repair damages to their homes and get businesses going again,” said Easley. “There are many citizens who lost everything and they need this critical assistance to recover.”

The declarations for Bertie and Onslow counties also make residents who suffered damage during the storm in the contiguous counties of Carteret, Chowan, Duplin, Halifax, Hertford, Jones, Martin, Northampton, Pender and Washington, eligible for the assistance.

On May 12, Easley dispatched damage assessment teams comprised of state and local officials to Bertie, Jones and Onslow counties. The governor toured the tornado damage in Bertie and Onslow counties later in the week. The assessment teams found Bertie County had 30 homes destroyed or with major damage that were not covered by insurance. In Onslow County, 16 homes and 10 businesses suffered major damage and were not insured.

The SBA loans cover physical repairs to homes and businesses that are not insured, and the agency’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans help small businesses and small agricultural cooperatives cover normal operating expenses through the disaster recovery period.

Source: Office of the Governor of North Carolina