NC schools awarded nearly $3.4M for help with Hurricane Dorian damage

Raleigh, N.C. — North Carolina has been awarded nearly $3.4 million from the federal government to help local school districts that suffered damage during Hurricane Dorian in September.

The state Department of Public Instruction applied for the grant in October and announced the award Thursday. School systems that are eligible to receive the funds are:

• Dare County Schools
• Edgecombe County Schools
• Hyde County Schools
• Lenoir County Schools

The school systems cited needs including instructional materials, technology equipment, furniture, cleaning services, mold mitigation and roof damage.

“NCDPI will be working to get these funds to the school districts as soon as possible,” North Carolina Superintendent Mark Johnson said in a statement.

Funds from the grant award can be used for activities such as mental health and safety programs for students and staff, replacing instructional materials lost during storms, additional transportation costs for students, faculty and staff salaries, and debris removal and mold mitigation from schools.

Hurricane Dorian skirted along the North Carolina coast with winds of up to 105 mph before making landfall Sept. 6, 2019, around 9:30 a.m. at Cape Hatteras. Ahead of the storm, 12 North Carolina counties ordered evacuations and all residents and visitors were urged to leave the Outer Banks.

The storm brought hours of rain and whipping winds as far inland as Interstate 95, and spurred suspected tornadoes from Myrtle Beach, SC, to the Crystal Coast and in Wayne County near Mar-Mac.