NC Gov Cooper declaration to aid NC people hurt most by Dorian

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Gov. Roy Cooper’s disaster declaration for more than a dozen eastern North Carolina counties following Hurricane Dorian means individuals harmed most by the winds and flooding can get financial help from state government.

Cooper’s declaration on Thursday is meant to target people living in Carteret, Dare, Hyde and New Hanover counties, which took the brunt of last month’s storm. But the federal government declined last week to issue a federal declaration for individual assistance in those counties, saying there wasn’t enough damage to warrant one.

The U.S. Small Business Administration did authorize low-interest disaster loans in the four counties and those surrounding them. So now, Cooper authorized a state grant program created for people who are denied the SBA loans or have damages not covered by insurance.