McCrory proceeds with storm special session plans

Even though the results of Election Day three weeks ago remain officially unresolved in the gubernatorial contest, Gov. Pat McCrory is going ahead with his promise to call the legislature back for a special session on storm recovery.

In a news release McCrory’s office issued Wednesday, the governor says he will submit to the General Assembly proposals on how to pay for the immediate needs of people displaced by the flooding from Hurricane Matthew.

McCrory says a special session would likely be held during the second week of December.

The governor’s announcement followed the fourth regional meeting of a storm relief committee, this one held in Pitt County. The final meeting will be Friday in Kinston.

The governor’s office reports that nearly $80 million has been distributed to more than 75,000 people in need of aid.

Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina in October, and its major impact was flooding. The committee is also charged with recommending how best to rebuild flood-prone communities.

The storm is estimated to have caused $2 billion in economic damage to North Carolina. McCrory earlier asked for more than $1 billion in federal financial help. Additional money is expected to come from the state budget and from private contributions.

Donations can be made to the N.C. Disaster Relief Fund for Hurricane Matthew by texting NCRECOVERS to 30306, or by going to NCDisasterRelief.org.

McCrory appears to have lost the election to Attorney General Roy Cooper by a narrow margin: more than 10,000 of 4.7 million votes cast. Final counts are underway this week, and have been delayed by problems with DMV voter registrations and so-far unproven allegations of widespread irregularities.

This story was originally published November 30, 2016 at 12:49 PM with the headline "McCrory proceeds with storm special session plans."