Dare, Hyde Counties Declared Disaster Areas

The declaration means the state will pick up 75 percent of the tab to fix damaged buildings and to pay for debris removal.

"The hurricane caused significant damage on Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, and these communities need our help to fully recover," Easley said.

Initial estimates show more than $700,000 in building damages in those two counties.

Combined damages for the counties were not high enough to meet criteria for a federal disaster declaration. Dare and Hyde counties qualify for a state level disaster because they proclaimed a local state of disaster, damage exceeded $10,000 and the damage is greater than one-half of one percent of each county's budget.

WRAL Hurricane Section