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Ministers' Conference leads citywide Hurricane Matthew relief effort Rev. Carlisle BY TEVIN STINSON THE CHRONICLE . It has been over a week since Hurricane Matthew swept through the east coast of North Carolina, but a num ber of cities in eastern North Carolina are still suffering from major flood damage, downed power lines and destroyed homes. According to reports, the storm damaged about $1.5 billion in property, including more than 100,000 homes. To help with relief efforts, the Ministers' Conference of Winston-Salem and Vicinity (MC^VSV) has kicked off a citywide initiative to collect essential items for those in need. The conference will be collecting non-perishable food, clothing, diapers, baby formula, toiletries and water that will be delivered to dis placed residents in Wayne County and the city of Goldsboro next week. While Lumberton and Nash counties were the hardest hit by Matthew, MCWSV's third vice presi dent and program commit tee chair, the Rev. Alvin Carlisle, said that after speaking with city and county offi cials, they discovered that the Wayne County area is in dire need as well. As native of Goldsboro, Carlisle said he has seen the affects of flooding firsthand. During an interview earlier this week he mentioned during Hurricane Fran in 1996 his grandmother loss their family home, so when he saw the hundreds forced to live in subpar conditions, he felt the need to lend a helping hand. "It's heartbreaking to see large sections of the city shut down and people living without the basic necessities," he continued. "I've seen the damage flooding can do in the Wayne County area and we felt compelled to jump into action." McCrory refuses session to help Princeville and flooded counties | BY CASH MICHAELS FOR THE CHRONICLE ^s massive pumps dis place 4 million gallons of flood wat^r per day from the Edgecombe County town of Prince ville, and hundreds of evacuated families from there and other impacted communi ties continue to worry about where they are going to live next, state lawmak ers are strongly urging Gov. Pat McCrory to con vene a special session of the N.C. General Assembly as soon as possible to appropriate the critical recovery funds thirty-one central and eastern North Carolina counties need in the aftermath of Hurricane I .? Matthew. But the governor and Republican legislative leaders refuse, saying there is enough in the state emer gency fund to tide the impacted flooded areas over until state lawmakers reconvene in January, pointing to the projection that swollen rivers- will recede by Oct. 24. Apparently Republican leaders in the N.C. General Assembly convinced the governor that the small dis aster relief fund, which is reportedly under $20 mil lion, would be quite enough for now. Legislative sources say it is just $12 million (the Governor's Office placed that figure closer to $18 million in its Oct. 11 press release). "(It would be] impru dent to try to determine long-term needs until floodwaters recede and immediate threats to safety are controlled," a joint statement from House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Beiger said. Democrats wholeheart edly disagree. Last week, as flood' waters and power outages continued to ravage homes, businesses and farms, state Senate Minority Leader Dan Blue (D-Wake) and other Senate Democrats called pn McCrory and Republican leaders to move quickly to address the emergency. "[W]e as state leaders, need to act now to provide immediate relief and assis tance to communities directly impacted by the storm," Blue wrote in an Oct. 12 letter to McCrory.. State Sen. Erica Smith Ingram (D- District 3), who represents many of the areas affected, includ ing Edgecombe County, also wrote McCrory urging quick action. "Now that President Obama has declared a state of disaster for almost a dozen eastern counties, I urge you to call the General Assembly for a Special Session for the pur pose of putting additional appropriations in place to expedite and begin the long road of recovery, disaster clean-up, rebuilding, and relief efforts." What has not been said is that federal assistance will cover up to 75 percent of what the state spends in recovery efforts, according to the state Emergency Management website. So there's little reason not to use rainy day funds. But again, in the after math of Matthew, Democrats say $12 million to $18 million isn't nearly enough. During last week s gubernatorial debate with Democratic challenger Attorney General Roy Cooper, McCrory proudly touted that over $1.6 bil lion was budgeted away in the state's "Rainy Day Fund." But it takes legisla tive action by the N.C. General Assembly to touch any of that fund because it's deliberately unallocat ed to any agency or pro gram, thus the call for McCrory to immediately convene a special session as soon as possible to determine how much more beyond the emergency fund is needed now. If a reference point is needed for state lawmakers Gov. McCroryto determine what the possible total cost could be, they need look no further than Hurricane Floyd in 1999, which caused massive flooding and destruction in Edgecombe and other counties, costing North Carolina $836 million in disaster relief funding, even with federal assis tance. A special session was called to appropriate that funding, albeit three months after Floyd hit. Democrats say given the high level of suffering, loss of homes, businesses and farms, in addition to lives (at least 25 at press time) in - the aftermath of Matthew, faster action is required now. The population of the small town of Princeville, considered the oldest incorporated town founded by African-Americans in the nation, is more than weary of the flood waters Matthew has brought. Many of (hem experienced the same dire dilemma in 1999 when . Hurricane Floyd dumped heavy rains on an already swollen Tar River that separates Princeville from neighbor ing Tarboro. The subse quent flooding forced the town's 2,000 residents to flee for their lives for emergency shelters in schools and nearby hotels, or out of the area with rela tives, with little more than the clothes on their backs. History has repeated itself again 17 years later with Matthew. Sen. Smith Ingram says FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) is imploring impacted vic tims to file with the agency as soon as possible, noting that they have 60 days from the disaster declara tion (roughly Dec. 9). They should call 1-800-621 3362. But many of the sur vivors are poor and elderly, and don't have bank accounts that FEMA can automatically deposit needed funds in. They nor mally go to check cashing places with whatever pub lic assistance they get. Tarbord High School has served as an emer gency shelter for many. Those who have been able to afford to, have stayed in area hotels and motels, afraid that when their money runs out, they and their children will be kicked to the streets. Princeville Elementary School was found under six feet of water. Classes have been relocated to dif ferent facility. Based on news reports and interviews with offi cials involved in the disas ter relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew, that price tag will be consider ably more than Floyd . "In the days and weeks ahead, it is critical that our state leaders thoroughly document the needs in these communities and pursue innovative approaches to meeting those needs. There will be gaps in available federal assistance and it will be incumbent on North Carolina to come up with the ways to provide relief to those that may be initial ly left out of the recoveiy," said Bill Rowe of the NC Justice Center, a Raleigh based progressive think tank. ' *' ? M SmlX Gov. McCrory This is an aerial shot of flooded Princeville after Hurricane Matthew. ? auto financing >? RATES NEW flexible AS LOW AS USED TERM 1.6$& refi options Find the loan that fits you best. Visit us online at Allegacy.org to get started. '^legacy be your best you. *A11 loans are subject to credit approval. 1.69% APR is effective as of 09/15/2016. Rates and terms are based on your credit history and profile. All rates, terms, products and services are subject to change without notice. ?>2016 Allegacy Federal Credit Union
Winston-Salem Chronicle (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
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