Audit Reveals Deep Problems With Cooper Administration’s Response To Hurricanes Matthew and Florence
Today, the North Carolina Office of State Auditor (OSA) released its report on the administration of the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency’s Homeowner Recovery (HRP). This program was a key component of the Gov. Cooper’s response to Hurricane Matthew and Helene.
“The unfortunate truth of this report is the response from North Carolina to Hurricanes Matthew and Florence was a disaster. When government decides to focus on administrative procedures ahead of boots on the ground, hurricane victims get hurt,” said State Auditor Dave Boliek. “North Carolina must implement a long-term, comprehensive plan that can be used for decades to come. As state leaders, we owe it to the people of North Carolina to come to the table, institute accountability, and map out a transparent and permanent strategy to respond to hurricanes.”
NCORR managed over $1 billion in federal and state disaster recovery funds. The audit found that while providing assistance, poor practices led to massive budgeting issues, that required a $297 million bailout.
Some shocking findings of the report:
As of April 2025, HRP received 11,654 applications and 3,522 projects have been completed.
NCORR managed the HRP with three different systems: North Carolina Financial System, Disaster Recovery Grant Reporting, and Salesforce.
Applicants had to go through eight steps to complete the application process. Each step took an average of at least 100 days. Grant determination took an average of 936 days.
Key findings in the report:
Poor Budgeting Practices: NCORR did not have a comprehensive assessment of total disaster related need. This approach, combined with inconsistent reconciliation across financial and program management systems, meant NCORR did not know the full cost of recovery until after the application period closed.
Unreliable Data and Delays: NCORR spent more than $25.4 million on design and implementation of the Salesforce platform, but incomplete and inconsistent data in the program’s tracking systems led to operational challenges and delayed recovery for many families. Some families spent over 1,400 days in temporary housing.
Insufficient Budget Control and Monitoring: NCORR had no structured financial roadmap or ongoing budget monitoring. They operated reactively, making spending decisions based on available funds rather than comprehensive needs or performance targets. Inconsistent reconciliation indicates nearly $785 million in public funds was disbursed to vendors without a single, reconciled source of financial truth or robust oversight.
Inadequate Vendor Oversight: Only one of six program administration contracts included key performance indicators. In some cases, NCORR reported that payments were made without full verification of work completed.
Here are some short term and long recommendations from the report:
Enhance budgeting and financial oversight.
Strengthen contract management.
Improve data integrity and reporting.
Establishing a Sustainable Outcomes for Long-Term Impact and Disaster Recovery (SOLID) partnership among North Carolina’s Council of State, Department of Public Safety, and Legislature.
Implement robust budget and financial oversight.
Strengthen contract management and oversight.
Implement comprehensive data governance frameworks.
Tim’s Take: While the details of the report are shocking, none of them are surprising. For years, Republicans have highlighted the failure of the Cooper administration to respond to Matthew and Florence, and Cooper simply failed to act. Legacy media outlets ignored this story because they understood the political consequences for then-Governor Cooper.
