A request for a federal disaster declaration for areas of Western North Carolina devastated by last week’s flood will be coming soon according to Governor Roy Cooper, who toured affected areas again on Wednesday.
Touring damaged businesses in Candler, Cooper said his administration is working as fast as it can to get the request ready to send to the federal government. But he added being thorough takes precedent over speed right now. ‘We do know getting these damage assessments right, and then submitting them to the federal government, makes it much easier to get all of the funding you’re entitled to,” Cooper said to reporters. The Governor didn’t offer a timeline for when the request would be sent.
The business Cooper toured in Candler – Mountain Power Performance – lost hundreds of thousands of dollars of tools and other equipment used to work on diesel engines and trucks according to owner Alexis Giese. “What can’t be wiped down of mud and have protectant put on it…electronics…it’s all gone," said Giese. "Tens of thousands of dollars in computer equipment, diagnostic equipment, battery tools. There’s no salvaging it. It’s gone.”
Pole Creek on Wednesday morning had a depth of around a foot where it runs behind Giese’s business. But last week it flooded its banks leaving Giese in chest deep water in his office. He and his coworkers had to be rescued from the roof of their building.
The Governor left Candler to tour the Canton area on Wednesday for a second time since the floods. Damages were even heavier there, and all five deaths from the flooding occurred in Canton and Cruso areas.
