ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WLOS) — An N.C. State University professor, whose previous jobs include assistant director for the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management (NCEM), director of the Office of Recovery and Renewal in Mississippi and senior recovery advisory to Roy Cooper and NCEM after Hurricane Matthew, is looking back at his experiences working with the federal government as several local municipalities tell News 13 the slowdown for federal funds is in Washington, D.C.
“It is really disheartening to see what’s happened to FEMA,” N.C. State University professor Gavin Smith said.
Smith described a strong working relationship with FEMA during his career. He worked in Gov. Jim Hunt’s administration and helped with recovery after Hurricanes Fran and Floyd. He said regional FEMA personnel were making financial approvals, which helped speed up the distribution of funds…