The Department of Transportation sent $5 million to North Carolina on Wednesday to help it start to rebuild damaged roadways and other infrastructure in the wake of massive flooding in the state caused by Hurricane Matthew.
The agency said the money was the first funding sent to a state affected by the storm for infrastructure repairs and expects to send more money soon as it assesses the needs of other states in the region.
“North Carolina has made a request for emergency relief funds to support rebuilding some of the road networks that were impacted,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told reporters. “We’ve sent $5 million. It’s happening right now.”
He added that the agency is prepared to similarly help other states damaged by the storm. As of Wednesday, Foxx said the agency continues to hear from other Southeastern states affected by the hurricane, as he readies to assess their needs. “We are monitoring the situation very carefully with our partners and with the various states,” Foxx said. “Those requests come to us and we process them as quickly as we can.”
