State disaster relief chief pressed on program's budget shortfall

FOR PEOPLE STILL IN NEED OF

HELP FROM STORMS YEARS AGO.

THE STATE'S DISASTER RECOVERY

AGENCY IS AT LEAST 160 MILLION

DOLLARS SHORT OF WHAT IT NEEDS

FOR RELIEF FROM HURRICANES

MATTHEW AND FLORENCE WRAL'S

CAPITOL BUREAU CHIEF LAURA

LESLIE JOINS US NOW LIVE.

LAWMAKERS HAD A LOT OF

QUESTIONS FOR THE WOMAN

RESPONSIBLE RUNNING THIS AGENCY

BEEN ABLE TO.

>> THEY HAVING OF IT'S A VERY

SHARP CRITICISM. ALSO FOR AT

REBUILD NC DIRECTOR LAURA HOGG

SAID SOME EVEN CALLED FOR HER

RESIGNATION AT THAT MEETING.

A LOT OF THEM ARE ASKING WHY IT

IS THEY SHOULD GIVE MORE MONEY

TO AN ORGANIZATION HAS ALREADY

SHOWN IT CAN'T MANAGE ITS

FINANCES.

>> DIRECTOR LAURA HOG'S HEAD

TOLD LAWMAKERS REBUILD AND SEE

AS 30 PEOPLE ON ITS ACCOUNTING

STAFF. STILL, THE PROGRAM

SPENT. 37.5 MILLION DOLLARS.

IT DIDN'T HAVE ON HAND.

>> ANYBODY WATCHING.

YES, SIR. WE WERE WATCHING THE

VARIOUS LINES OF THE BUDGET

THAT WE WERE NOT WATCHING IT

CAREFULLY ENOUGH. OVERALL,

HOG'S HEAD SAYS THE PROGRAM

WILL NEED AT LEAST ANOTHER

160 MILLION DOLLARS AND

PROBABLY MORE TO FINALLY FINISH

THE JOB OF GETTING STORM

VICTIMS FROM MATTHEW AND

FLORENCE BACK INTO THEIR HOMES.

AND YOU'RE ASKING US TO TRUST

OR MORE MONEY. AND I MEAN, YOU

GUYS ARE LIKE A TEENAGER WITH

MOM'S CREDIT CARD. BRANDON

JONES REPRESENTS CONSTITUENTS

WHO ARE STILL WAITING FOR HELP

YEARS AFTER THE STORMS HIT AS

THIS COMMITTEE HAVING MET WITH

YOU SEVERAL TIMES AND I'M

FRUSTRATED, YOU CAN TELL, WILL

YOU TURN IN YOUR RESIGNATION

TODAY IF YOU'RE MEETING YOUR

FALL?

>> SO I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE

DONE WHAT WE CAN TO COME TO

SOLVE THE PAST. WHEN I PLACE.

>> NO, SIR, I WILL NOT THEN.

WE WILL COMMITTEE. I THINK

WE'VE GOT A LOT OF WORK TO DO.

BUT SHE'S IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR

SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED A LONG

TIME AGAIN. SENATOR BRENT

JACKSON STOPPED SHORT OF

CALLING FOR HOGG, SAYS

RESIGNATION.

>> BUT HE'S SKEPTICAL ABOUT

REBUILD AND SEES ABILITY TO

HELP WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA

OR DAMAGE FROM HELENE IS FAR

WORSE THAN MATTHEW OR FLORENCE

WAS. IT'S BEEN A LARGE

BUREAUCRATIC OPERATION SET UP

THAT SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN AND

WE NEED TO STREAMLINE IT DOWN.

IF WE'RE GOING TO KEEP MOVING

FULL HISTORY.

>> NOW STATE LAWMAKERS ARE DUE

BACK IN TOWN TOMORROW FOR A

VETO OVERRIDE SESSION. WE

LEARNED TODAY THAT THEY ARE

ALSO PLANNING TO TAKE UP A

HELENE ADDITIONAL RELIEF

PACKAGE. THERE COULD BE SOME

EXTRA MONEY FOR REBUILDING.

SEE TAPPED INTO THAT PACKAGE.

HOW MUCH REMAINS TO BE SEEN

LAURA LESLIE WRAL NEWS LIVE