WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation and Fox News Sunday to discuss Hurricane Florence response and recovery efforts.
Click HERE to watch the CBS Face the Nation Interview.
Click HERE to watch the Fox News Sunday Interview.
Tillis on the current status in North Carolina:
“North Carolina is doing as well as we can. Rivers are going to continue to overflow their banks over the next few days and I believe that could cause some of the worst parts of the storm to still occur. The rainfall and water levels for the some of the main rivers in North Carolina are at dangerously high levels, and we are already seeing a number of main roads closed down which presents a number of challenges for local communities and disaster relief.”
Tillis on the government response to Hurricane Florence:
“We are getting the resources we need. I think the FEMA assets were positioned as well as they could be to respond to the storm and the Red Cross has done an extraordinary job providing shelter to those in need. There are areas in Eastern North Carolina where flooding, downed power lines and downed trees are creating challenges for emergency response teams, but every report we are getting is we are working through them to restore power as quickly as possible and but it will likely be weeks before it is fully restored.”
Tillis on the threat of floods this week:
“It is difficult to understand what is ahead, but if Hurricane Matthew is any indication we will see parts of North Carolina be threatened later this week that may not be threatened right now. North Carolinians need to continue to take this seriously and listen to local authorities. Sadly we have experience with this with Hurricane Matthew, so federal, state, and local officials will continue to come together and I think North Carolina is as prepared to deal with this as any state in the country.”
Tillis on the damage to North Carolina:
“To give a comparison, Hurricane Matthew hit almost two years ago and we are still recovering. Hurricane Florence will likely produce impacts greater than Hurricane Matthew, particularly on industries like agriculture, the largest industry in North Carolina. The floods that will occur over the next few days may be even more damaging the initial impact of the storm, and the economic impact and cost to rebuild North Carolina will likely be in the billions of dollars.”
Click HERE to watch the CBS Face the Nation Interview.
Click HERE to watch the Fox News Sunday Interview.
Tillis on the current status in North Carolina:
“North Carolina is doing as well as we can. Rivers are going to continue to overflow their banks over the next few days and I believe that could cause some of the worst parts of the storm to still occur. The rainfall and water levels for the some of the main rivers in North Carolina are at dangerously high levels, and we are already seeing a number of main roads closed down which presents a number of challenges for local communities and disaster relief.”
Tillis on the government response to Hurricane Florence:
“We are getting the resources we need. I think the FEMA assets were positioned as well as they could be to respond to the storm and the Red Cross has done an extraordinary job providing shelter to those in need. There are areas in Eastern North Carolina where flooding, downed power lines and downed trees are creating challenges for emergency response teams, but every report we are getting is we are working through them to restore power as quickly as possible and but it will likely be weeks before it is fully restored.”
Tillis on the threat of floods this week:
“It is difficult to understand what is ahead, but if Hurricane Matthew is any indication we will see parts of North Carolina be threatened later this week that may not be threatened right now. North Carolinians need to continue to take this seriously and listen to local authorities. Sadly we have experience with this with Hurricane Matthew, so federal, state, and local officials will continue to come together and I think North Carolina is as prepared to deal with this as any state in the country.”
Tillis on the damage to North Carolina:
“To give a comparison, Hurricane Matthew hit almost two years ago and we are still recovering. Hurricane Florence will likely produce impacts greater than Hurricane Matthew, particularly on industries like agriculture, the largest industry in North Carolina. The floods that will occur over the next few days may be even more damaging the initial impact of the storm, and the economic impact and cost to rebuild North Carolina will likely be in the billions of dollars.”
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