News

Cooper seeks federal disaster declaration

By Bill Moss, Published: March 24, 2020

Gov. Roy Cooper has requested a major disaster declaration for the state of North Carolina due to the continuing impacts of COVID-19 on North Carolina.

“It’s important that we help North Carolinians stay protected from the health impacts of COVID-19 and recover economically from the financial impacts this crisis is having on our state,” Cooper said in a letter to President Trump.
In requesting the major disaster declaration, Governor Cooper asked the federal government to provide individual assistance for those affected, including crisis counseling, disaster unemployment assistance and Small Business Administration assistance, among other programs.
Governor Cooper issued a state of emergency for North Carolina to respond to the Coronavirus COVID-19 crisis on March 10. President Trump followed by declaring a national emergency on March 13, opening Public Assistance for North Carolina, which reimburses government offices and non-profits for actions that protect public health and safety. Eligible counties and communities may qualify for financial reimbursements for the cost of taking prudent actions to reduce the impacts of COVID-19, while also protecting lives and public health.
California, New York and Washington have already received major disaster declarations for COVID-19.