Sen Hagan, FEMA, and Wilkes County

In a recent letter, US Senator Kay Hagan of NC mentioned Wilkes County. Senator Hagan sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in support of North Carolina’s appeal for federal assistance for Catawba, Lincoln and Wilkes counties. In July, storms and floods caused millions of dollars in property damage, disrupted critical services, and washed out roads and bridges in the area. In September, FEMA issued a disaster declaration for parts of Western North Carolina, but denied the state’s request for public assistance for a number of counties because an initial assessment of the damages incurred failed to meet the threshold for receiving assistance. Subsequent assessments completed earlier this month identified additional damages that exceeded the required level, and the state appealed FEMA’s previous denial. Hagan said in her letter, “I respectfully urge you to make this declaration for Catawba, Lincoln and Wilkes counties to assist North Carolina to quickly and fully recover from the devastating storms and floods that impacted the area in July.” Then on Wednesday, FEMA announced their decision to provide federal disaster assistance to 6 Western NC counties including Wilkes. Now federal funding will be available for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, flooding, landslides, and mudslides in the counties of Ashe, Avery, Catawba, Lincoln, Watauga, and Wilkes.