LUMBERTON — The General Assembly could take action Monday night on Gov. Roy Cooper’s request for a $750 million Hurricane Florence recovery package that includes $14 million for the city of Lumberton.
The money for Lumberton is earmarked for “floodgates,” a bit of a surprise to Lumberton officials who already have money for floodgates for where the CSX railroad tracks go under Interstate 95, a hole through which floodwaters from the Lumber River have flowed twice to swamp South and West Lumberton.
According to city officials, the floodgates are projected to cost about $2.5 million and the city has a $1.25 million Golden LEAF grant and a $1 million Community Development Block Grant to help pay for the flood prevention project.
Rep. Charles Graham, a Democrat who represents District 47, said the state money could be put to work helping solve some of the flooding issues the city has experienced during hurricanes Matthew and Florence. Graham in recent weeks has been working to build a coalition of local, state and federal officials to find money to address flooding problems in the city.
“Basically, what the governor is trying to do I am supporting,” Graham said. “It demonstrates the governor is trying to get projects and recovery funding up and running. It is a pretty broad proposal, but the reality is we need to go ahead and get the appropriations and try to help our citizens and our businesses come back.”
Graham understands both chambers are dominated by Republicans, and that a wholesale passage of the request is unlikely, but said legislators could “pick and choose” what they like.
If the city were to get the money, he is sure officials could put it to work fighting the flooding issues, even if they don’t need it for floodgates, Graham said. City officials recently met with CSX officials and believe that there is consensus to work together on the floodgates and other flood mitigation projects.
“This is a step in the right direction, to begin the process of dealing with our drainage and a diversion system,” Graham said.
Shortly after Florence hit, Tim Moore, the House speaker, visited Robeson County and pledged the state’s help in trying to fix some of the flooding issues related to the Lumber River. Graham said he was encouraged by the visit. Graham has already been before the county Board of Commissioners and the Lumberton City Council to win support.
“We’re putting together a coalition to address this issue,” Graham said. “We want to get it right, with state federal and local officials.”
Cooper unveiled his request this past week while providing new estimates for the scope of last month’s storm, which dumped more than 30 inches of rain in some areas of Southeastern North Carolina and killed 40 people.
Cooper’s office calculates damage from Florence in North Carolina will be nearly $13 billion, or about equal to the damage caused by the state’s two most devastating hurricanes of the past 20 years — Floyd in 1999 and Matthew two years ago. The requested $750 million would cover what the federal government and private insurance won’t, Cooper’s budget office said, and wouldn’t require any tax increases.
“The human suffering and property damage left in the wake of Florence was like nothing we have ever seen before,” Cooper said. “An unprecedented storm requires an unprecedented response … Rebuilding smarter and stronger isn’t just an idea, it’s an obligation.”
Spokesmen for Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger said Cooper’s request was being reviewed.
The biggest chunk in the package addresses housing.
Cooper seeks $400 million to supplement anticipated federal relief funds to repair flood- and wind-damaged homes and relocate 1,000 families out of the 100-year flood plain. Another $50 million would be used to encourage affordable housing developments.
About 74,000 homes sustained water damage and 430,000 were damaged by strong winds, according to flood models by the state Division of Emergency Management. About 3,800 private-sector business and nonprofit properties had water damage and 49,000 properties had wind damage, the division said.
