Cooper meets storm victims: ‘It’s like starting all over again’
This is home for her.
But flooding from Hurricane Florence did a number on her residence, which, after being gutted for the extensive water damage it incurred, is now down to studs and floor joist.
On Tuesday afternoon, Browning stood among an informal circle of 16 town residents who talked with N.C. Gov.
"It hurts so much to see everything you worked for over the years to go in the dumpster," Browning told the governor, before breaking into tears.
Those standing beside her consoled Browning before Cooper, too, stepped closer to give her a hug.
"I'm sorry you guys are having to deal with this," he said. "I have meetings and calls about this every day."
During his afternoon visit, Cooper heard directly from residents stymied in the recovery process of trying to get the necessary assistance to rebuild their homes and rebuild their lives.
During the one-on-one conversations, citizens also spoke with him about a lack of sufficient funding available to them, about flooding issues that they believe inevitably will surface again without resolving the underlying problem, and about tree debris that remains in their neighborhood since Hurricane Florence hit the area in mid-September.
The governor's second stop in
Trahan told Cooper that a contractor is waiting on the go-ahead to spray for mold and begin the rebuild. Daniel has received money from the
"Churches are helping out with the rebuild stuff," he said. "It's all volunteer work. Some are really dealing with the same thing we are. I love my dad. I got him living with me. One of my kids just happened to move out. I had a spare bedroom, and I got him and his dog living with me. And it's been hard. It's been really hard."
"I know it has," the governor said. "You want to see your dad get back in a good situation. Are you concerned that the money you got from
"It could be a very high probability," Trahan replied. "I'm not afraid of the money he has to take care of rebuilding, but (the help) to get him back to living status."
"All those things you have to do," Cooper said.
"I have to buy him clothes. He lost all his clothes. It's been a struggle."
"Well," Cooper said, "you're a good son taking him in and helping him out."
Before that stop, the governor and his entourage met with Bob and
They are living temporarily with a son in
"I'm 80 years old," Blakeney said. "It's like starting all over again."
Before leaving, Cooper told the Blakeneys that he would look into a supplemental temporary housing fund available to storm victims -- those who have been displaced by the storm. Cooper told them he was not going to let storm victims be put out in the street.
"It's got to be hard on you," he said. "We'll go back and do everything we can. One thing we know: a lot of people did not have flood insurance. You still have to go into your pocket."
Staff writer
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