Tax Time May Bring Breaks For Flood Victims 

Release Date: January 5, 2000
Release Number: 1292-154

» More Information on North Carolina Hurricane Floyd & Irene

RALEIGH, N.C. -- Income tax time may turn into a limited blessing for North Carolina flood victims, who need all the help they can get to recover from the watery devastation of Hurricanes Dennis, Floyd and Irene.

People suffering casualty losses in a federally-declared disaster area, such as the 66 North Carolina counties so designated following last year's storms, may receive assistance from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the form of free income tax information and tax return preparation. And they may deduct casualty losses, defined as damage, destruction, or loss of property resulting from a catastrophic event, on the federal income tax return for the year in which the casualty actually occurred or on the return for the preceding tax period.

In other words, taxpayer/disaster victims may amend their 1998 returns, filed in April of last year, to reflect all or part of their losses, or they may include the losses in the 1999 returns to be filed this year.

Deductible items include homes and personal property, such as furnishings, appliances, vehicles, and clothing.

Claiming casualty losses can provide money for rebuilding or replacing damaged goods. The IRS recommends writing "HURRICANE FLOYD" on any return, amendment or other correspondence relating to this relief.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) inspectors' inventories serve to document losses and may be attached to your tax form in lieu of making a new list.

To receive Form 4684, the Casualties and Thefts Form and instructions or for more information, taxpayers are urged to call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 or visit these offices in or near the disaster areas:

3308 Chapel Hill Boulevard
Suite 140
Durham

SYSTEL Building
225 Green Street, Suite 400
Fayetteville

320 Federal Place Room 101
Greensboro

Woodall-Smart Building
210 East First Street
Greenville

Sommerset Office Park
4495 Bland Road, Suite 101
Raleigh

CCB Building
3904 Oleander Drive, Suite 200
Wilmington

U. S. Courthouse and Federal Building
251 North Main Street, Room 118
Winston-Salem

Disaster victims are reminded that they have until January 18 to register for assistance. Call the FEMA toll-free number 1-800-462-9029 (TTY 1-800-462-7585). To make inquiries about applications already filed call 1-800-525-0321.

The state's disaster designated counties wherein residents are eligible for IRS casualty loss claims:

Alamance, Anson, Beaufort, Bertie, Bladen, Brunswick, Camden, Carteret, Caswell, Chatham, Chowan, Columbus, Craven, Cumberland, Currituck, Dare, Davidson, Duplin, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Franklin, Gates, Granville, Greene, Guilford, Halifax, Harnett, Hertford, Hoke, Hyde, Johnston, Jones, Lee, Lenoir, Martin, Montgomery, Moore, Nash, New Hanover, Northampton, Onslow, Orange, Pamlico, Pasquotank, Pender, Perquimana, Person, Pitt, Randolph, Richmond, Robeson, Rockingham, Rowan, Sampson, Scotland, Stanly, Stokes, Tyrrell, Union, Vance, Wake, Warren, Washington, Wayne, and Wilson.

Last Modified: Thursday, 11-Dec-2003 12:31:32