North Carolina Buildings Take $1.5B Hit From Matthew Floods

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina estimates that flooding from Hurricane Matthew has caused $1.5 billion in damage to 100,000 homes, businesses and government buildings.

The estimate released late Saturday is part of a growing picture of the storm's financial impact on the state.

John Dorman, an assistant state emergency management director, says computer modeling combined property records, topography and stream gauges to estimate how many feet of water affected a givenbuilding — and how much damage the water caused.

With floodwaters yet to recede in some communities, he says the number could fluctuate.

The figure is one piece of the overall picture of how the storm affected the state. For example, the estimate doesn't include the cost of repairing damaged roads and bridges or the value of belongings inside damaged buildings.