RALEIGH -- Governor Pat McCrory’s request for a federal disaster declaration in anticipation of damages caused by Hurricane Matthew has been approved for 66 counties in central and eastern North Carolina by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“I urged our federal partners to move quickly on this request for assistance, and they did,” said Governor McCrory. “This declaration makes federal resources available to help local and state government agencies respond to the potential disaster and gives quick access to stockpiles of disaster supplies like bottled water and meals that FEMA has already staged at Fort Bragg.”

On Monday, Governor McCrory sent a letter to President Barack Obama requesting a federal disaster declaration in anticipation of damages in North Carolina caused by Hurricane Matthew. This afternoon, the Federal Emergency Management Agency notified the governor that his request was approved.

The 66 counties included in the federal disaster declaration are: Alamance, Anson, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Caswell, Chatham, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Davidson, Davie, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Martin, Montgomery, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimans, Person, Pitt, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Sampson, Scotland, Stokes, Surry, Tyrrell, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Wilson, and Yadkin.

This declaration enables FEMA to provide federal resources to aid in the flood recovery effort. This aid will help cover the expense of establishing mass shelter and feeding stations, as well as search and rescue missions and other emergency protective measures.

On Monday, Governor McCrory declared a state of emergency for 66 eastern and central counties. Yesterday the governor expanded the State of Emergency to all 100 counties in order to provide the necessary assistance to eastern North Carolina and surrounding states as Hurricane Matthew approaches.