 By four days after landfall , FEMA served around 68 @,@ 000 meals to displaced families . More than a dozen disaster recovery centers were initiated throughout the state . FEMA provided 125 @,@ 000 pounds of ice in the first few days , and prepared 200 @,@ 000 pounds of ice and 180 @,@ 000 liters of water for the following week for the remaining communities without water . By six days after Isabel struck the state , all hospitals were opened and all roads excluding North Carolina Highway 12 were passable due to emergency crews clearing roads with debris . By about one month after the hurricane struck , 32 @,@ 560 North Carolina residents applied for federal assistance , with disaster aid totaling about $ 50 million ( 2003 USD , ( $ 64 @.@ 3 million 2016 USD ) ) . Subsequent disaster declarations ultimately declared 47 North Carolina counties as disaster areas . By 12 weeks after the hurricane passed through the state , 54 @,@ 425 residents applied for federal assistance , with disaster aid totaling $ 155 @.@ 2 million ( 2003 USD , ( $ 200 million 2016 USD ) ) . 
