Gov. Roy Cooper today signed Executive Order 41 to declare a State of Emergency for Guilford and Rockingham counties, areas that suffered significant damages after a tornado touched down Sunday.
The declaration of a State of Emergency is the first step in seeking federal funds to help reimburse local governments for the costs of debris clearing and emergency measures taken after the storm. It authorizes the use of state government resources to assist city and county governments in storm response and activates laws against excessive pricing in the two counties during the cleanup and recovery process. It is also a first step in requesting federal assistance to individuals and homeowners for rebuilding.
"People in Guilford and Rockingham counties were hit hard by this storm, and we know many of them will need assistance to recover," said Governor Roy Cooper. "We are working quickly to complete the damage assessment process, so help can get to those who need it."
Today, damage assessors from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will join other damage assessment teams already on the ground from local and state governments and from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Information gathered from these damage assessments will help determine the amount and type of uninsured losses and which state or federal disaster relief programs may be activated in the coming days.