Rouzer meets with town officials to discuss Matthew aftermath

LELAND, NC (WWAY) — The federal government is reaching out to city and town officials following Hurricane Matthew to see what they can do to help the recovery process. Rep. David Rouzer (R-7th District) met with leaders of towns impacted by the Hurricane to get an idea of the aftermath they’re dealing with and what these places need in order to recover.

More than 20 officials from Southeastern North Carolina, including Fair Bluff Mayor Billy Hammond, attended the roundtable to bring attention to the specific needs they hope federal aid can meet. Fair Bluff has been dealing with serious flooding that has really torn the town apart.

“We’ve been devastated,” Hammond said. “We’ve got over half the town residents that are displaced.”

From the rebuilding of towns like Fair Bluff, to the dune repairs in the beach towns, Matthew brought all sorts of damage to various parts of the area and the needs are also very different. Rep. Rouzer said that the meeting was a way to meet with these officials and make a plan going forward.

“We’ve got our current federal programs. Some may need to be tweaked and adjusted,” Rouzer said. “Some cases we may have a unique need we need to address specifically and that’s the purpose of this and what we need to work on.”

With the help of federal aid, Fair Bluff’s mayor says his town can make it through.

“Our plan is to move forward, not to give up and we’re going to recoup and come back,” Hammond said.

Rouzer is holding another meeting tomorrow in Sampson County for the northern part of the 7th District to see their needs as well.