Hurricane recovery director accepts responsibility, will not resign

(The Center Square) – Sparks flew at a Monday afternoon meeting of the Hurricane Response and Recovery Subcommittee as committee members called for the resignation of Laura Hogshead, the chief operating officer of the state’s Office of Recovery and Resiliency, for the office’s poor response to Hurricanes Matthew and Florence.

The meeting was called after Hogshead’s office requested $175 million to cover a budget shortfall and continue operations throughout the state. It was unknown publicly until Gov. Roy Cooper slipped it into a request of $3.9 billion in a 99-page proposal for Hurricane Helene relief to western North Carolina.