CUOMO ANNOUNCES FUNDS AVAILABLE TO NORTH CAROLINA TO HELP STATE RECOVER FROM HURRICANE FLOYD

WASHINGTON - In a move to help North Carolina recover from Hurricane Floyd, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Andrew Cuomo today announced the immediate availability of more than $46 million in HUD assistance that would have normally gone to North Carolina in early 2000.

The accelerated Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME assistance will be made available to the state for potential use in the 66 counties in North Carolina that were declared a major disaster area by President Clinton after Hurricane Floyd caused extensive flood damage to homes and businesses in September. The declaration made it possible for HUD to accelerate the delivery of the funds North Carolina was scheduled to receive early next year from the CDBG and HOME programs.

The 66 counties are: Alamance, Anson, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Caswell, Chatham, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Davidson, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Martin, Montgomery, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Person, Pitt, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Rowan, Sampson, Scotland, Stanly, Stokes, Tyrrell, Union, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Wayne and Wilson

"HUD is committed to doing all we can to help families in North Carolina who have been hurt by Hurricane Floyd and to help rebuild their communities and businesses," Cuomo said.

More than $34 million in CDBG funds and close to $12 million in HOME funds are being made available immediately through an expedited approval of North Carolina's Fiscal Year 2000 Action Plan for CDBG and HOME. These funds represent approximately 75 percent of North Carolina's 1999 formula allocations for these programs. The balance of the funds for 2000 will be made available as soon as the final grant amounts have been determined.

CDBG funds are used by communities for a variety of public purposes, including disaster recovery. The HUD assistance can be used to: repair homes and businesses; repair and rebuild public buildings and facilities, such as water and sewer facilities; and pay for clearance and demolition of structures damaged by the storm.

HOME funds are used to implement local housing strategies designed to increase homeownership and affordable housing opportunities for low- and very low-income families. Approved uses for the HUD assistance include housing rehabilitation and new construction.

Content Archived: January 20, 2009