Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, September 19, 2003
US president declares major disaster in North Carolina
US President George W. Bush declared a major disaster in North Carolina on Thursday and ordered federal aid to support the local recovery efforts in areas struck by hurricane Isabel.
US President George W. Bush declared a major disaster in North Carolina on Thursday and ordered federal aid to support the local recovery efforts in areas struck by hurricane Isabel.
Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster, according to a press release issued by the White House.
Representatives of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have named a federal coordinating officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area, the release said.
The agency said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and more areas and additional forms of assistance may be designated after the assessments.
As hurricane Isabel came ashore in North Carolina on Thursday morning, hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses in the areawere blacked out, and air travel and train service were disrupted along the East Coast area.