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Day two of David Pecker testimony wraps in NY Trump trial; Supreme Court hears arguments on Idaho's near-total abortion ban; ND sees a flurry of campaigning among Native candidates; and NH lags behind other states in restricting firearms at polling sites.

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The Senate moves forward with a foreign aid package. A North Carolina judge overturns an aged law penalizing released felons. And child protection groups call a Texas immigration policy traumatic for kids.

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The urban-rural death divide is widening for working-age Americans, many home internet connections established for rural students during COVID have been broken and a new federal rule aims to put the "public" back in public lands.

NC Coastal Communities in Limbo After Hurricane Matthew

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Wednesday, January 18, 2017   

PRINCEVILLE, N.C. – "Should I stay or should I go?" That's the question for thousands of residents on the North Carolina coast, who remain displaced by Hurricane Matthew.

The deadline to leave temporary housing has been extended to February, but for residents of public housing, answers aren't expected by then. The feds haven't decided whether or where to rebuild.

The town manager of Princeville, Daniel Gerald, says that puts the town's economic future in jeopardy.

"Government officials are telling them to move to different locations, so we're losing our population," he said. "It's our tax base, and we're a small town to begin with, so we can ill-afford to lose our tax base."

In Edgecombe County alone, four multi-unit public housing structures were destroyed, and 300 people remain displaced, in a town with historical significance. Princeville was founded by slaves in 1885, and some fear losing a piece of history if most residents leave.

In a statement, FEMA says it is "working closely with the state and other partners to identify many housing options for those impacted by Matthew."

Doris Stith lives in Edgecombe County and says while she wasn't directly affected, she knows people who are living with uncertainty.

"Those who are in subsidized housing, their decision to move forward is based upon HUD and others who are providing housing," she said. "Are they going to rebuild? Are they going to relocate?"

Gerald believes it's time for FEMA to match the quick action taken in other natural disasters in recent years.

"It feels like we're almost being punished for being prepared," Gerald added. "We have people in hotels; we have people taken care of, as far as their immediate needs. Now, the government seems to be taking their time about bringing in trailers, and I know for a fact that they were bringing in temporary trailers in Louisiana, in West Virginia. Why are you not bringing them in here?"

Because of the winter storms, FEMA extended the application deadline for homeowners to apply for help to Mon., Jan. 23.

Reporting for this story by North Carolina News Connection in association with Media in the Public Interest. Media in the Public Interest is funded in part by Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation.


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