RALEIGH, N.C. - Federal administrators have again denied North Carolina's request for aid for victims of Tropical Storm Bonnie and Hurricane Charley, Gov. Mike Easley said.

Bonnie and Charley brought rain and tornadoes to southeastern coastal counties on consecutive days in mid-August, including an Aug. 13 tornado at Rocky Point that killed three people.

Brunswick County, N.C., officials estimated the two storms caused millions of dollars worth of damage in its borders, but it was not enough for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The effect of the storms "was not of such severity and magnitude as to be beyond the capabilities of the state and its local governments," Michael Brown, homeland security undersecretary for emergency preparedness and response, wrote in a response released Wednesday by Easley.

FEMA first rejected the Bonnie/Charley request Sept. 6, and Easley appealed 10 days later.

The second decision is final and cannot be appealed further, FEMA spokeswoman Barbara Ellis said.

A spokeswoman for Easley said he hopes the state's congressional delegation can change that.

The state maintains that the damage from the two storms needs to be measured as a whole with damage from other foul weather this hurricane season.

"North Carolina was hit by seven tropical storm systems this year and is still in the process of recovering," Easley spokeswoman Cari Boyce said. "Statewide damage estimates are in the hundreds of millions of dollars. We are working with our congressional delegation to get the administration to reverse that decision."

A federal disaster declaration would have brought money to reimburse local and state governments, clear storm debris, repair homes of the neediest, and provide for temporary housing of the displaced.

It also would have brought money for projects aimed at limiting damage caused by future storms.