It was a quiet week around Raleigh this week as the North Carolina General Assembly remains adjourned until Monday, September 9. While legislators were away from Raleigh this week, Tropical Storm Debby made its way through North Carolina, bringing high winds, tornado warnings, and many inches of rain across the state. North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray announced Wednesday that the state has activated at least 350 members of the National Guard and deployed 17 swift-water rescue teams. Governor Roy Cooper (D) declared a State of Emergency by signing Executive Order 311 on Monday ahead of the severe weather anticipated throughout North Carolina.
The Executive Order activates the State Emergency Operations Plan, allowing the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Safety the ability to take necessary actions to help ensure utility vehicles can move throughout the state to resolve power outages and that other vehicles carrying essential supplies, like food and fuel, are able to get to in-need areas.
President Joe Biden approved a federal emergency declaration for North Carolina on Wednesday as well, allowing federal funds to be used to supplement state and local dollars for response efforts, including reimbursement for evacuation and shelter supports. Sixty-six of the state’s 100 counties are included in the federal emergency declaration.
As of Thursday afternoon, 28 counties have issued their own state of emergencies and over 90,000 North Carolinians were without power.
Tropical Storm Debby also prevented two high-profile political events from taking place in North Carolina this week. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, was scheduled to hold a rally in the Raleigh area on Thursday with her recently announced running mate, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, while Republican vice-presidential candidate, Ohio Senator JD Vance, was scheduled to make two stops in North Carolina on Thursday, one in Raleigh and one in Oakboro. However, due the threat of severe weather, both campaigns decided to postpone their events to a later date.
Upcoming Legislative Meetings
Currently, there are no legislative committee meetings scheduled for next week.