Governor Beverly Perdue says Hurricane Irene destroyed more than a thousand homes here in Eastern Carolina.
The governor spoke with reporters in Manteo this afternoon. She put a preliminary damage estimate of $70 million.
Perdue says the damage estimate is very preliminary and based only on what officials have seen so far. Officials said the first counties to be considered for federal disaster help will be Dare, Craven, Beaufort, Tyrrell, Carteret, Pamlico and Hyde.
The governor spoke along with the federal secretaries of Homeland Security and Agriculture and Sen. Kay Hagan.
