RALEIGH -- overnor Pat McCrory met with members of the North Carolina Congressional Delegation  at the Emergency Operations Center to discuss the importance of our state and federal partnership as we begin to recover from Hurricane Matthew.

“Responding to and now recovering from Hurricane Matthew has truly been a team effort and I am proud of the cooperation between the state and our federal partners,” said Governor McCrory. “We had a productive meeting today to discuss our response and next steps to help North Carolinians rebuild and return home as soon as possible. We are proud of the heroes that saved lives through more than 2,000 rescues. North Carolina is resilient, we are strong, and our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the 27 families who tragically suffered loss during this storm.”Save

Governor McCrory said that the discussion focused around the severity of the storm, the actions taken by the state to date and future recovery efforts.

The delegation heard from Emergency Management Director Mike Sprayberry on the state’s rescue and response efforts. Additionally, FEMA Federal Coordinating Officer Libby Turner, a Rocky Mount native, updated the group on the efforts to get people into immediate temporary housing. According to Turner, more than 1,000 FEMA representatives are currently in North Carolina helping with the recovery efforts.

State Budget Director Andrew Heath also gave an overview of the state disaster reserves and the Rainy Day Fund, as well as a tentative schedule for requesting future federal funding assistance.

Governor McCrory said that the state’s top priorities in the recovery continue to be:

Raising money for those in need through the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund, particularly to help repair and rebuild permanent housing;

Getting people out of shelters and back home, or into temporary housing as soon as possible;

Reopening and rebuilding roads, bridges, rail and water lines as fast and safe as possible;

Implementing a comprehensive strategy for how to rebuild sustainable towns and communities;

Assessing the storm’s financial impact on agriculture, small business, commercial fisherman and other industries to develop an economic recovery plan of action;

Implementing a plan for any needed legislative action for additional relief funding.

The governor encouraged individuals and groups to help in the relief efforts by making a financial or other contribution. Monetary contributions to the North Carolina Disaster Relief Fund for Hurricane Matthew can be made by texting NCRECOVERS to 30306 or by visiting NCDisasterRelief.org. This is one of the best ways to help fund long-term recovery efforts.