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CAPE FEAR MEMORIAL BRIDGE CLOSURE: UPDATES, RESOURCES, AND CONTEXT

New Wilmington Budget Includes Hurricane Relief

A sign on a local business highlights the devastation of Hurricane Florence.

Wilmington is still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, and the latest city budget reflects that. The 200 million dollar 2019-2020 budget has been unanimously approved by the city council, and much of its focus centers around severe weather relief and planning.

Wilmington’s new city budget features some major changes -- most notably, the addition of two new staff positions. The hires will include someone in charge of storm planning, as well as someone in charge of city facility repairs. City Communications Manager Malissa Talbert says these changes will provide more relief from future storms.

"What we're trying to do really is rectify some of the lessons learned, if you will. It's probably been more than 10 years since we had a major storm until last fall. And so while we had been very lucky, we really weren't as prepared as we could be."

Along with the new staff positions, the city will also work with New Hanover County on some recovery efforts.

Hannah is WHQR's All Things Considered host, and also reports on science, the environment, and climate change. She enjoys loud music, documentaries, and stargazing; and is the proud mother of three cats, a dog, and many, many houseplants. Contact her via email at hbreisinger@whqr.org, or on Twitter @hbreisinger.