North Carolina governor: We saw ‘significant damage’ in eastern part of state

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D) said Sunday that the eastern part of the state has been significantly damaged following severe flooding and dangerous winds from Tropical Storm Florence.

“We were able to get into the air and see significant damage in eastern North Carolina,” Cooper told reporters at a press conference Sunday.

“There is a lot of farm land underwater, all over the southeastern part of the state,” Cooper said. “I’m concerned about the impact on crops and farms.”{mosads}

Cooper, however, said the storm, which was downgraded to a tropical depression early Sunday, prevented officials from seeing the full scope of the damage.

.@NC_Governor Roy Cooper: “We were able to get into the air and see significant damage in eastern North Carolina.” https://t.co/6s0pmLfqVU pic.twitter.com/cplVnL7AMZ

— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 16, 2018

North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis (R) said earlier Sunday that the storm has caused billions of dollars of destruction already as it continues to makes its way through the state.

“I think it’s fair to say in terms of economic impact, rebuilding, that we are talking in the billions of dollars,” Tillis said on “Fox News Sunday.” 

Tillis added that it is “very difficult to say” when North Carolinians could expect life to return to normal.