NC Official Wants Extension for Irene Claims

North Carolina’s insurance commissioner says residents need more time to file insurance claims stemming from losses suffered during Hurricane Irene.

Wayne Goodwin sent a letter on Friday to Federal Emergency Management Agency officials asking for an extension of the Nov. 23 deadline.

FEMA plans to close down its flood insurance claims hotline that day.

Goodwin says his department has met with homeowners in Pamlico County and elsewhere who were unaware of the deadline to file claims. He says the date should be pushed back by at least two weeks.

More than $64 million in aid funding has been dispensed in North Carolina since the Category 1 storm struck in August.