Stein requests federal disaster declaration to speed recovery from Tropical Storm Chantal

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein said Tuesday that he’s asking the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a public assistance disaster declaration to increase the federal relief dollars available to local governments affected by Tropical Storm Chantal.

2025-08-05

Preliminary damage assessments have totaled more than $42 million in public assistance damages, which is about twice the state’s minimum for a Federal Major Disaster Declaration, Stein’s office said Tuesday. A Major Disaster Declaration would authorize public assistance to impacted local governments to offset the cost of rebuilding damaged roads, utilities, and clearing debris.

Stein also declared Chantal a Type I state disaster, which allows the state to activate state-funded individual assistance grants for people affected by the storm. The declaration covers Orange, Durham, Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Granville, Person and Wake counties.

The declaration allows for state-funded individual assistance grants to cover things such as housing and rental assistance, personal property replacement, medical or dental expenses, or funeral or burial expenses resulting from the storm. Details about how to apply can be found at the Department of Public Safety’s website.

“Whether it's that they don't have insurance and they lost all of their life's possessions, they can get some money to help them get on with their lives,” Stein said at a meeting of the Council of State, which consists of the state’s 10 elected executive office holders.

Stein previously declared a state of emergency for 13 counties grappling with the remnants of the storm, which killed at least six people in central North Carolina last month.

Last month, the Small Business Administration approved a disaster declaration for eight North Carolina counties affected by the storm. The declaration allows business owners and homeowners to apply for low-interest loans.

“We have more work to do in helping the people of central North Carolina recover, just as we continue to be focused on doing everything we can to help western North Carolina get back on its feet,” Stein said Tuesday.

Chantal hit central North Carolina on July 6, with some areas receiving as much as a foot of rain, Stein’s office said. The Haw River, the Eno River and Jordan Lake rose to record or near-record water levels.