Audit finds $91M unused as thousands await hurricane repairs in North Carolina

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) — A new federal audit shows just how woefully delayed the response has been for recent hurricane victims in North Carolina.

Troubleshooter Diane Wilson was at a hearing earlier this month where lawmakers grilled officials with ReBuild NC, which is the state-run program that uses federal dollars to rebuild low-income storm-impacted communities throughout North Carolina.

The audit looked at how North Carolina spent the millions of dollars in disaster relief granted to the state by the federal government after Hurricanes Matthew in October 2016.

It found that just 789 of the nearly 4,200 homes that applied for relief after Hurricane Matthew have been repaired completely.

Because of this slow response, thousands of hurricane victims remain homeless while they wait for the state to repair their homes.

The audit found that North Carolina had accepted more than $145 million for disaster relief in 2016, but so far, the state has only spent $54 million on actual repairs.

The audit determined that North Carolina had the capacity to administer the funds but it failed to follow proper procurement requirements and procedures.

To read the audit for yourself, click here.