Hillsborough leaders meet to discuss costly Chantal recovery

The town of Hillsborough is one of dozens of communities in North Carolina that lost FEMA funding that would've helped with flooding mitigation.
Posted 7/16/2025, 9:23:10 PM Updated 7/17/2025, 2:12:06 AM

ESPECIALLY ALONG ESTES DRIVE

ABOUT $500,000. IT IS COSTLY.

HILLSBOROUGH TOWN LEADERS,

BRIAN, ARE WORKING OUT HOW TO

PAY FOR THE RECOVERY EFFORT

FROM SCHENN TALL AS WELL.

ORANGE COUNTY OFFICIALS SAYING

TONIGHT REPAIRS COULD COST MORE

THAN 30 MILLION DOLLARS AND

THAT THE FEMA FUNDING CUT BY

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS

SETTING THEM BACK 6 TO 8

MONTHS. WRAL'S HEIDI KIRK WAS

INSIDE A COMMISSIONERS MEETING

TONIGHT. SHE JOINS US NOW LIVE

FROM HILLSBOROUGH. HEIDI, WERE

THEY ABLE TO MAKE ANY PROGRESS?

>> WE KNOW WE ACTUALLY JUST

STEPPED OUT OF THAT MEETING

WITHIN THE HOUR. IT TOOK PLACE

HERE AT HILLS FOR THOSE TOWN

HALL. NOW, COMMISSIONERS

ALLOCATED JUST OVER A MILLION

DOLLARS FOR SOME OF THOSE

RECOVERY EFFORTS. AND NOW

THEY'LL BE WORKING THROUGH HOW

MUCH OF THAT GETS REIMBURSED

AND HOW MUCH IF ANY, THEY GET

FROM FEDERAL FUNDS.

>> TONIGHT IN HILLSBOROUGH

TOWN, LEADERS GOT THEIR FIRST

LOOK AT SOME OF THE COSTS OF

RECOVERING THE MILLIONS OF

DOLLARS IN DAMAGE CAUSED BY

SEAN TALL FROM WASHED OUT ROADS

TO PROPERTY DAMAGE, THE COST TO

REPAIR IT ALL IS FRONT OF MIND

FOR LOCAL LEADERS. SO WE JUST

ALLOCATED LEVER MILLION DOLLARS

TONIGHT TO COVER THE COST OF

VEHICLES AND

>> AND PUBLIC WORK-RELATED

EXPENSES. AND WE HOPE TO BE

REIMBURSED FOR THAT. BUT WE

MAY NOT BE REIMBURSED FOR THAT.

WHILE MUCH OF THE FUNDING IS UP

IN THE AIR, THE NEED FOR

RECOVERY IS URGENT RIGHT NOW.

>> IN HILLSBOROUGH, PUBLIC

WORKS IS DOWN 10 VEHICLES AFTER

FLOODING AT THE FACILITY,

LEAVING THEM DOWN TO 3RD

STRENGTH. THEY CALL THAT THE

NUMBER ONE PRIORITY TO RESTORE

SERVICES TO THE TOWN. BUT IT'S

NOT LOST ON THEM. WHAT OTHER

PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH, WHAT

WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IS

HELPING CONNECT RESIDENTS AND

BUSINESSES TO RESOURCES OF

HEALTH. WE THEY CAN BETTER

PREPARE FOR THESE DISASTERS IN

THE FUTURE. MAYBE THERE'S

SOMETHING WE COULD DO

DIFFERENTLY IN THE FUTURE OR

>> INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE COULD

STRENGTHEN TO HELP PROTECT US

FROM THAT.

>> AND OF COURSE, THIS IS JUST

THE FIRST OF MANY CONVERSATIONS

THAT WILL BE TO CALL ABOUT HOW

TO FUND SOME OF THE RECOVERY

EFFORTS. OF COURSE, WE'LL KEEP

YOU POSTED EVERY STEP OF THE