President Trump Approves Disaster Declaration For Tropical Storm Chantal For Seven Counties
Today, Governor Josh Stein announced that President Trump officially approved a Major Disaster Declaration, which includes public assistance for seven counties impacted Tropical Storm Chantal. Stein’s request for hazard mitigation statewide is still pending.
On this announcement, President Trump said, “I am proud to approve nearly $32 million dollars in assistance for the Great State of North Carolina, which I WON BIG all six times, including Primaries, in response to their recent flooding events in July. Senator Ted Budd, future Senator Michael Whatley, and all of our incredible North Carolina Republicans have asked for this, and I am happy to do it — North Carolinians deserve it. I just notified Governor Stein, and I fully expect he will make sure the funds are used to help the State recover quickly. The last Democrat Governor, Roy Cooper, who now wants to be Senator, did a terrible job with all of the Storms and massive Water Damage to the State. We came in on January 20th, and did a great job of bringing North Carolina BACK. Michael Whatley and Ted Budd were of great help. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”
The Trump administration authorized Public Assistance funding for Alamance, Caswell, Chatham, Durham, Moore, Orange, and Person counties. Federal Public Assistance Funding provides reimbursement to eligible state and local governments to offset the costs of the response and recovery to a disaster.
“Tropical Storm Chantal caused widespread damage to infrastructure across central North Carolina, and many areas are still picking up the pieces,” said Democrat Governor Josh Stein. “This assistance is critical so that communities can continue to remove debris and repair damaged roads and infrastructure. I thank President Trump for his support, and I look forward to continuing to work with the administration to deliver critical resources to North Carolina.”
In July, the SBA approved federal financial assistance for homeowners, renters, business owners, and nonprofits in the form of low-interest disaster loans. Eligible homeowners and renters may borrow up to $500,000 for repair or reconstruction costs for their primary residence. Loans of up to $100,000 are available to cover expenses related to damaged or destroyed personal property, including clothing, furniture, cars, and appliances. Eligible businesses and nonprofits may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace property, including real estate, inventory, and equipment. The application deadline for physical property damage is Sept. 23, 2025. The application deadline for economic injury loans is April 27, 2026.
Applications for SBA disaster loans may be submitted online using the MySBA Loan Portal at https://lending.sba.gov or other locally announced locations. Contact the SBA’s Customer Service Center by email at disastercustomerservice@sba.gov or by phone at 1-800-659-2955 for further assistance. People who are deaf or hard of hearing or have a speech disability can dial 7-1-1 to access telecommunications relay services.
Republican Senate Candidate Chairman Michael Whatley said, “Proud to receive a call from President Donald Trump yesterday ahead of this incredible announcement. The people of North Carolina are grateful for his commitment to our state— in stark contrast with Roy Cooper and Joe Biden, who FAILED us. It is an honor to work with President Trump to deliver resources our state needs to rebuild after Hurricane Helene.”
