NC tornado victims get $5 million in government aid

More than $5 million in federal and state aid has been given to people in 18 counties hit hard on April 16 by the worst tornado outbreak in North Carolina's history, the Federal Emergency Management Agency announced Friday.

FEMA has given $2.9 million for temporary housing and home repairs, and the U.S. Small Business Administration has distributed $1.2 million in nearly 3,800 low-interest loans to business owners, homeowners and renter.

The state and federal governments have also given $1.08 million to help with smaller, disaster-related expenses such as personal property damage, medical and dental bills, and transportation to work.

 FEMA said that 6,850 people have registered for aid, and more than 2,500 have visited disaster recovery centers.

FEMA agents have inspected 3,810 damaged homes and gone door-to-door to over 9,600 homes. They've also visited 1,483 businesses, 126 community organizations and 640 faith-based organizations.

People affected by the storms can still register for aid by going online to FEMA's website or calling 1-800-621-3363 or (TTY) 1-800-462-7585.