VA secretary visits Fayetteville and Wilmington post-Florence

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— Secretary Robert Wilkie from the Department of Veterans Affairs will be in Fayetteville Monday to assess Hurricane Florence’s impact.

Secretary Wilkie will meet with local leaders at the VA center on S. Raeford Street, one of many sites that provides healthcare and benefits to veterans. There, he’ll be briefed on storm relief and how Florence impacted multiple VA facilities in the state.

Most of North Carolina’s VA shelters are fully operational now, but Hurricane Florence caused water damage and other issues for some facilities in the state, including one in Wilmington.

After his Fayetteville visit, Wilkie will go to the Wilmington Health Care Center, which is currently undergoing safety assessments.

VA officials said they had to cancel 8,000 appointments in the area because of the hurricane. Instead, they’ve been using mobile units to treat veterans.