NC asks Congress for $8.8B in Hurricane Florence recovery

RALEIGH, N.C. — North Carolina's governor is asking Congress for more federal funding to recover from Hurricane Florence, saying the total $8.8 billion requested is comparable to the help Washington has provided for other disasters since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

[NC exchange students raise money for Hurricane Florence victims]

Gov. Roy Cooper on Wednesday asked congressional budget-writers and the state's congressional delegation to provide another $6.3 billion in federal recovery funds on top of the $2.5 billion already expected.

[Michael Jordan returns home, meets with hurricane victims]

If approved, the federal funding would make up for about half the total $17 billion in damage from September's historic rains and flooding.

The state has already committed $850 million. The General Assembly this week is discussing a plan to spend $300 million of that money mostly to help rebuild damaged schools and compensate farmers whose crops and livestock were destroyed.

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Associated Press