State Politics

Hurricane Matthew disaster relief bill passes NC House

By Colin Campbell

ccampbell@newsobserver.com

June 28, 2017 03:52 PM

Fair Bluff, a town near the South Carolina border that was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew floods, will receive funding for new low-income housing under an N.C. House disaster relief bill.
Fair Bluff, a town near the South Carolina border that was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew floods, will receive funding for new low-income housing under an N.C. House disaster relief bill. Martha Quillin mquillin@newsobserver.com
Fair Bluff, a town near the South Carolina border that was hit hard by Hurricane Matthew floods, will receive funding for new low-income housing under an N.C. House disaster relief bill. Martha Quillin mquillin@newsobserver.com
RALEIGH

The budget bill that became law after an override vote Wednesday includes an additional $100 million for disaster relief, but it doesn’t detail how the money will be spent.

Those details came Wednesday in a new version of Senate Bill 338, which was introduced in the Appropriations Committee and unanimously passed the full House a few hours later.

Under the new version, titled Disaster Recovery Act of 2017, $20 million would go toward housing needs stemming from Hurricane Matthew, including the repair of public housing in Lumberton and Princeville. Another $5 million would be used to build new low-income housing in the town of Fair Bluff.

The nonprofit group Golden LEAF would get $30 million to provide infrastructure grants to communities affected by the hurricane that struck North Carolina in October and by wildfires last year. The N.C. Department of Agriculture would get $20 million for stream debris removal and for road, dam and pond repairs on affected farms.

Another $22.3 million would match federal disaster grants, and $2.7 million would go to community colleges to make up for enrollment declines resulting from the storm.

The disaster relief bill now goes to the Senate.

Also Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper toured areas affected by Hurricane Matthew in Fair Bluff, Lumberton and Orrum. According to The News Reporter of Whiteville, Cooper participated in the reopening of a boat ramp on the Lumber River and met with local leaders. He also announced $70 million in new disaster relief funding for Robeson County.

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