Gov. McCrory’s Hurricane Matthew recovery team holds first regional meeting

LUMBERTON, NC (WWAY) —  It’s been just a little more than a month since Hurricane Matthew hit North Carolina leaving damage in its wake. Today, Governor Pat McCrory’s recovery committee went over the progress across the state so far.

The southeastern part of North Carolina was devastated by Hurricane Matthew. The storm caused at least $2 billion of damage state wide. Hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed, leaving residents with little to nothing left.

Fair Bluff homeowner Myeisha McDuffie told us today, “We don’t really have anything down here right now so in order for us to get something we have to travel, just to get something and that’s not right.”

Governor Pat McCroy’s recovery team held it’s first regional meeting in Lumberton, focusing on three major issues, fundraising efforts, community outreach, and long-term plans for sustainable communities.

According to Thomas Smith, committee chairman of the recovery team, they’re still in the early stages of planning. “So we’re in the early planning stages now, the housing is a part of our request for our federal funding. but we also know that there will be unmet needs and that’s what we’re preparing for now.”

Governor McCrory hopes to hold a special session early next month to go over those unmet needs and ways to address them. In the meantime, people who live in Fair Bluff hope their town can be restored.

“That the town can come back. I don’t know if it can or not but it’s such a beautiful little town that’s on the river. And it was just a nice community, I would just hate to see it go,” said Fair Bluff business owner, Esther Scott.

Governor Pat McCrory has requested more than $1 billion towards relief efforts.