WASHINGTON — North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis today sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate urging the agency to grant the State of North Carolina’s request for federal emergency assistance before Hurricane Matthew begins to affect NC this weekend.

In their letter, Senators Burr and Tillis write:

“Over the last month the state has faced a strain on its resources due to the Colonial Pipeline leak, protests in Charlotte, and flooding across central and northeastern North Carolina. Many communities are only now beginning to assess the damage and begin the recovery efforts associated with the recent flooding. Hurricane Matthew poses an imminent threat to the State of North Carolina, and its approach necessitates the state once again activate the State Emergency Response Team and numerous other state resources…”

Current forecasts predict that Hurricane Matthew will begin to affect the North Carolina coast on Saturday. North Carolina Emergency Management recommends that North Carolinians formulate a safety plan and prepare an emergency preparedness kit as soon as possible.

The full text of the letter is below and can be viewed online here.

October 5, 2016

Dear Administrator Fugate,

As United States Senators from North Carolina, we support Governor Pat McCrory’s request for an Emergency Declaration under Section 501(a) of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief Act. On October 3, 2016, the State declared a state of emergency in 66 North Carolina counties including, Alamance, Anson, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden-Pasquotank, Carteret, Caswell, Chatham, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Davidson, Davie, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Martin, Montgomery, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pender, Perquimans, Person, Pitt, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Sampson, Scotland, Stokes, Surry, Tyrrell, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wilson and Yadkin. We urge you to approve this request as soon as possible to assist the state and these counties as they prepare for the approach of Hurricane Matthew as soon as possible.

Over the last month the state has faced a strain on its resources due to the Colonial Pipeline leak, protests in Charlotte, and flooding across central and northeastern North Carolina. Many communities are only now beginning to assess the damage and begin the recovery efforts associated with the recent flooding. Hurricane Matthew poses an imminent threat to the State of North Carolina, and its approach necessitates the state once again activate the State Emergency Response Team and numerous other state resources.

We would also like to commend your agency for establishing an Incident Support Base at Ft. Bragg to pre-position federal resources ahead of the storm. An emergency declaration will provide the needed assistance to the State and local communities to allow them to properly prepare for the effects of Hurricane Matthew. We respectfully request that you make the requested declaration to enable North Carolina to prepare for the potential disaster, consistent with the intended purposes of Federal Emergency Management Agency and the federal Stafford Act.

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